I Belong to You: A Kisshu and Ichigo Love Story
by sukistrawberry2468
Summary: Deep Blue was defeated two years ago, but Aoyama-kun didn't survive. Ichigo has never forgiven herself for letting that happen. Now Kisshu's love for Ichigo puts her in danger. Will either of them survive? IK LP and PT pairs, please R & R! :
1. Chapter 1: Ichigo, Alone

Chapter One: Ichigo, Alone

Author's Note: In this story, I changed the end of Tokyo Mew Mew so that Aoyama-kun dies (sorry, Masaya fans!) so that there's no issues of Ichigo cheating on him. This takes place two years after the Final Battle.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters.

Chapter One: Ichigo, Alone

Ichigo woke up cold, sweaty, and sick. Stumbling out of bed, she made a dash for the bathroom, kneeling over the toilet just in time to throw up. Her limbs were shaking. She reached up unsteadily for the counter top, and with a great deal of effort, pulled herself up off the ground. She turned on the faucet and started to splash cold water on her face. It had happened again. She'd had the dream again.

It was a dream that never changed. Except perhaps that it became more horrifying to witness each night it occurred.

It had been two years since the final battle – the one that had left her weak, alone, and broken-hearted. After Deep Blue had killed Kisshu, and Deep Blue and Aoyama-kun had begun their ferocious, internal struggle, Ichigo had tried her hardest to destroy Deep Blue, while also sparing Aoyama-kun's life. In the dream, she summoned her Strawberry Bell the same as she had in the real battle. Then, using the Full Power of the Mews combined, she had blasted Deep Blue with enough power to destroy him. When the blast dissipated, she'd seen Aoyama-kun's body lying on the ground, lifeless.

Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut as the most horrible part of the dream rushed over her. She'd kissed Aoyama-kun, kissed him with every part of her soul. The Mew Aqua of her essence had been powerful enough to restore Tokyo to a blossoming paradise, powerful enough even to bring all three aliens – Pie, Tart, and Kisshu – back to life.

But it hadn't been enough. Not nearly enough. Aoyama-kun didn't wake up.

Ichigo felt the unwanted tears sliding down her cheeks again. And she was still nauseas. Up until the very last moment, the dream was accurate with reality. In the battle two years ago, she hadn't been able to save him. Her love. Aoyama-kun. The aliens had helped remove the Mews and Aoyama-kun's body from the spacecraft.

Ichigo especially remembered Kisshu's expression when he'd woken and seen Ichigo sobbing over Aoyama-kun's still body. Teleporting over, he'd stared at Ichigo as if he'd never seen anything more terrible and sad in his life. Usually, Ichigo would've shouted at him to go away. But this time, she let it go, because all that mattered then was that she knew she'd lost the battle. Even though Deep Blue had been defeated, she felt as though she'd failed, as both a Mew Mew and as Aoyama-kun's love.

Then, in the last seconds of the dream, as Ichigo saw Kisshu's expression – it made her start a little, so shocked was she by its depth of pain – the body morphed, like a fast-forward tape of something rotting, back into Deep Blue. The carcass opened its icy blue eyes, glazed over with evil insanity, and then the mouth full of broken teeth began laughing. Ichigo screamed, and in that instant, she always woke up, with the last remnants of that horrible face floating in front of her in the darkness. Sometimes, like tonight, she would run to the bathroom to throw up. Other times, she could do no more than curl up into a tiny ball, shivering underneath the covers, and grope around her nightstand for Masha, so she could hold him against her like a stuffed animal and gain some small comfort from his soft cooing.

Her limbs still weak, Ichigo crawled back into bed. She curled up in the fetal position, and closed her eyes. But the terrible face floated up beneath her eyelids, and she opened her eyes with a snap, a small whimper leaving her lips. She reached out one arm and felt around for her cell phone. Then, she suddenly stopped. She remembered that Masha was with Ryou getting a tune-up tonight. The Mews hadn't fought in two years, but Ryou had thought it best for Ichigo to keep Masha with her just in case of an new, unexpected threat. However, tonight, Ichigo was alone, and the thought sent her heart racing as she tried not to replay her dream, like the reel of a horror movie, in front of her eyes again.

It didn't work. The laugh echoed in her ears. She curled up even tighter, gripping her blanket tight between her fists. Her own pitiful voice whispered into the night.

"Go away…just go away…"

Then, one part of the dream returned to her – the only part that gave her any comfort, any sense of peace at all. It was the look on Kisshu's face when he'd seen her in pain. It was as if...as if, if he'd been able to, he would have taken her into his arms, and then, stroking her mop of pink hair, whispered to her that everything would be all right, and that he would take care of her.

All that…just from one look. That's what she'd felt for a brief moment. But two years ago, she had turned away from him, and in the dream, Aoyama-kun's body transformed at that moment into Deep Blue. But the thought of Kisshu – of the way he'd wanted to comfort her, of the way that he had, after all, thought of nothing but her the whole time they'd been pointlessly fighting each other – made it possible for her heart to stop racing.

"Kisshu…_Kisshu_…"

Whispering his name, very quietly into the night, she was able to drift off to sleep again.


	2. Chapter 2: It's Over Between Us

Sorry the first chapter didn't cover very much and was kinda short

Sorry the first chapter didn't cover very much and was kinda short. This one is better! Also, I apologize if I get some of the names wrong.

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters

Chapter Two: It's Over Between Us

"Whew! Wow, look how much money I made today!" Pudding was hopping up and down in front of the other four Mews, who were squeezed on a park bench together the following afternoon. She shook the coins around in the large top hat she carried, looking as excited as a monkey with a banana pie.

Ichigo looked at her friends seated beside her; Mint, looking extremely irritated at being squished, had her nose in the hair and her hands folded primly in her lap; Lettuce was smiling serenely at Pudding as the little blonde-haired girl danced around with her earnings; and cool-headed, beautiful Zakuro was gazing up at the sky, watching the clouds float by abstractly and humming quietly to herself. Ichigo had been lost in thought, watching passively as Pudding did her usual routine for the crowd of admiring spectators.

"Well? How about we all go out to eat? I'll buy!" Pudding said, skipping circles around the bench happily.

Zakuro said, "No, Pudding – you keep that money for your brothers and sisters. I'll buy."

"Wait! I'll do it!" Mint said, leaping at any excuse to impress her idol. "And we'll go somewhere really nice too!"

"Maybe we should invite Keiichiro-san and Shirogane-san too?" Lettuce asked.

Mint looked irritated again. "Well…I guess. If you must."

Lettuce sprang up. "I'll just run over to Café Mew Mew and ask. Ichigo, do you want to come?"

"Oh…okay," Ichigo said, smiling and getting up to join her. The two of them waved goodbye to the others and began walking away.

After a moment of quiet, Lettuce asked timidly, "Um, I was wondering…"

"What is it, Lettuce?"

"Are you still having nightmares?"

Ichigo sighed, and then nodded unhappily. Lettuce looked sympathetic.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. You know, you can call me if you need to talk. I mean, I know that must be really awful for you."

Ichigo laughed uneasily, trying not to make a big deal out of it. "No, it's okay, really! I'm doing okay! The nightmares don't even come that often now anyway."

Lettuce smiled. "Well, that's a good thing."

"Yup." Ichigo smiled, but she could feel it was a strain. By now they were strolling up the walkway to Café Mew Mew. Lettuce reached to open the door.

When she pulled it open, they were met with the smells of fruit, bread, and any number of delicious baked goods, which were Keiichiro's specialty. Just as they walked in through the doorway, Ryou walked around the corner.

He looked at them in mild surprise. "Hey. What are you two doing here?"

Lettuce spoke for them. "We – I mean to say, the Mews – were wondering if you and Keiichiro-san would like to join us for dinner? Mint said she was paying."

Ryou laughed. "Well, in that case, I guess I can't refuse – if this isn't the time to get the most expensive meal I can think of, then I don't know when is." He looked back over his shoulder and called, "Hey, Akasaka! Let's go eat!"

Keiichiro appeared from inside the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel. "Good idea, I'm starving," he agreed, "Oh, and with the Mews too? What a pleasure."

Lettuce, as usual, looked embarrassed. Ichigo gave another smile that felt too tight and led the way out. The rest of them followed, Keiichiro closing the door behind them.

Ichigo's mind wandered as the four of them walked back to the park. It still felt so strange to be doing something as normal as a social gathering with Ryou, Keiichiro, and the rest of the Mews, instead of fighting some dreaded evil. They hadn't had to turn into their Mew forms since the final battle, and Ichigo was glad for that. She was sure that she would be dreadful now if she tried to use her Strawberry Bell. But more importantly, having to fight again in her Mew form would mean she could fail again, like she failed in saving Aoyama-kun.

Lettuce leaned in close to Ichigo and whispered, "Do you ever think about them, Ichigo?"

"Who?"

"Um…well, Kish and Tart, uh, Pie?"

Ichigo grinned. "I'll bet you still are. Pie was staring at you right before they got into the ship, you know."

Lettuce's eyes widened and she suddenly became extremely flustered. "W-what? He was?" she said incredulously.

"Yup!" Ichigo said. Lettuce looked down at the ground, twisting her hands together nervously.

"Do…do you ever think that…maybe they'll…come back?" she asked.

Ichigo felt her stomach give a surprising lurch at the thought. The aliens, come back? That would be…well, she didn't know how that would be. They hadn't exactly parted on bad terms, but Ichigo had been so heartbroken that she hadn't really said goodbye to any of them. Though she had felt Kisshu looking at her as Ryou gave Pie the last bit of Mew Aqua. Beside them, Pudding had been crying into Tart's shoulder, and even Tart had forgotten his pride and was sniveling a little.

Ichigo hadn't looked at Kisshu. She knew that his eyes, gold in color and unusually bright, would've been filled with an emotion she wasn't strong enough to handle then. Not with the tragedy that had just ripped her apart. She had turned away from him. Then, with Pudding gripping Tart's shoulders for as long as she could get away with, the three aliens finally teleported into the ship, and flew away.

"Um, Ichigo?"

She started. "Oh, I'm sorry Lettuce. What did you just say?"

Lettuce looked embarrassed again. "I was just wondering if…well, if Kisshu said anything to you before he left?"

Ichigo shut her eyes tight. Lettuce gasped, her hand flying to her mouth.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have asked, please forgive-"

"Don't worry about it." Ichigo's smile was barely there now. "He did, actually. You know him, he couldn't have left without opening his mouth at least once."

"Oh…" Lettuce lowered her hand. "Um…was it something…bad?"

Ichigo shook her head. "Not at all."

Lettuce waited for a moment, then decided she didn't want to bother Ichigo anymore, and let the subject drop. Ichigo was relieved. She hadn't told anyone what Kisshu had said to her, right before he teleported away.

She'd been facing away from him, staring at nothing, feeling next to nothing. Then he was standing somewhere close behind her. She heard him say her name.

"Hey, neko-chan."

Ichigo didn't turn around. She heard him take a step closer.

"Ichigo…"

Ichigo shut her eyes tight, willing him to go away before she started crying again. She felt him come up right behind her.

"Ichigo, I…well, we're going to go home and save our planet with the Mew Aqua. So I guess that means it's over between us."

Normally Ichigo would've turned around and tried to smack him. But even though she'd been his enemy for months, she'd come to understand him in a way, and one thing that he'd proven in the last battle was that he had indeed come to feel some semblance of genuine affection toward her. To what degree, she didn't know. She clenched her fists by her sides.

Then she felt Kisshu's breath very softly on the back of her neck. Then, as she stiffened, he leaned in very slightly, and said quietly;

"Maybe someday I'll be yours in the same way that you are mine. Bye bye, neko-chan."

Ichigo was too slow in whirling around to face him – he'd teleported away. Feeling confused and even more anguished, she looked up at the ship, but she couldn't see into the windows. Then, the spacecraft lifted off, and, gathering speed quickly, left Earth for good. With it, went the three aliens who had played such a part in changing her life.

Ichigo returned to the present when Pudding bounced up to the four of them, still waving around her bag of cash. Shoving her memories aside, Ichigo concentrated on summoning up the brightest fake smile she could. All she could do now was get though each day. Though she could live with that with her friends nearby. Even though she couldn't share everything with them, it was comfort enough to know that the Mew Mews would always been close as sisters. And Ryou and Keiichiro were like their two older brothers.

As Pudding bounced around them, Mint and Zakuro led the way, followed by Ryou and Keiichiro, with Lettuce and Ichigo bringing up the rear. The sun was setting. Ichigo glanced up at the sky. She thought for a moment, that if she concentrated, she could almost imagine the space ship soaring back down through the clouds.


	3. Chapter 3: I Love You Either Way

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters.

PS: Please feel free to send me a review!

Chapter Three: I Love You Either Way

Under the dark cover of the night, Kisshu slipped quietly into his room and closed the door behind him without a sound. Then, groaning a little, his placed his hand over the small, glass globe on the stand by the door. Immediately, the room was flooded with light, which was projected by the globe.

Leaning against the door, Kisshu gripped the frame and tried to keep from letting his legs give out. Sweat and red dirt was smeared across his face – his hair, neck, and chest were wet with perspiration. There were a few tears in his pants. And in his side – a large tatter of his shirt fell away, revealing an oozing wound he'd gotten from his now slain opponent.

Panting heavily, he pushed off from the door and stumbled a little. He shoved his bangs impatiently away from his eyes. As he walked unsteadily across the room to open the window, he stripped off the ruined shirt and tossed it onto the floor. He winced as he stretched out his arm to touch the window. The glass melted away at his touch and a cool breeze blew in. He sighed, standing there for a moment and breathing the air that now felt so temperate, and that held the scent of flourishing life.

Since bringing back the Mew Aqua, his planet had grown to become as beautiful as the planet Earth – no, even more so. His people didn't pollute as the humans did – their technology didn't do any harm to their environment. For two years, his family and friends, as well as everyone else on the planet, had lived peacefully – well fed, well clothed, everyone sleeping in a warm bed and waking up to a bright sun and the smell of the flowers outside.

Never had Kisshu been surrounded by such beauty and prosperity. However, this jewel in the galaxy had become a target for other aliens, and as Kisshu, Pie, and Tart had been the ones to bring salvation to the planet, they had been appointed commanders of the army. Kisshu was the leader, closely flanked by Pie, with Tart growing fast as an equally skilled warrior and leader.

Coming in from a battle, Kisshu was wounded more than normal. He knew perfectly well why. The distraction hadn't left his mind once – not even for a day – since leaving Earth. Some days he thought about her more than others, but he never forgot completely. And even though he didn't dream, he spent plenty of time thinking of what he would've done differently if he'd been able to go back and talk to her again.

He would've taken Ichigo into his arms. He would've called her by his beloved pet name, "neko-chan", and he even though he would've wanted to tease her like he always did, he would've instead kept his smart mouth shut and just held her, petting her fluffy pink hair and letting her cry for his dead rival, Aoyama-kun. Even though he should've been glad that Aoyama-kun was gone, Ichigo's pain had been almost unbearable to see. He had almost been angry at the dead Earth boy for making his Ichigo so sad.

Instead, Kisshu had left, and become famous on this his adopted home planet. He, Pie, and Tart were global heroes. They lived well, and had as many comforts as they had responsibilities. But it was not enough for them.

The only thing Kisshu wanted was Ichigo. And he knew that Tart had developed a badly-masked affection for Pudding, the little yellow monkey girl. He was sure that part of Tart's maturing into a leader had been because he had to try and not let him missing her distract him, in the same way Kisshu had to do with Ichigo. As for Pie…though he was the most impassive of all, there had been moments where Kisshu suspected he'd felt something for the green one - Lettuce, with the glasses. Pie had never verbally confirmed this, but Kisshu thought he was right.

Letting out another groan, Kisshu stepped through a doorway in the wall, and again lit the room with the globe. The soft golden glow illuminated a still pool of water, which steamed enticingly. Smiling a little, Kisshu finished stripping and slid into the water. Immediately, the tension in his muscles began to relax, and even though his wound stung slightly, it felt incredibly good. He let his head sink into the water, unbinding his hair from the ties in front of his ears. Like a cloud of green seaweed, he let his hair float gently in the water, washing away the grime and sweat of the battle. Finally, he resurfaced again, shaking the water out of his eyes and clearing his sopping hair from his eyes.

He leaned back against the side of the pool, his thoughts drifting as lazily as the water. Ichigo…he thought back to her sweet face, her red hair tied up in two tails. And then as Mew Ichigo…those little pointed black ears, pink hair, and that long tail with the big red bow and bell on the end, that made her look like a wrapped present. His little kitty-cat, always scowling at him when he released a Chimera Animal on her and the other Mews…

He laughed a little at that, and grinned to himself. "I love you either way, neko-chan, as a Mew or a normal girl."

A noise behind him. Kisshu stiffened. Then…

"Whheeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

With a huge splash, Tart hurtled over Kisshu's head into the water. Sputtering furiously, Kisshu teleported over to Tart and hit him over the head, yelling, "What do you think you're doing, you little brat!"

"Hey, lemme go, Kish! I was just having some fun! Lighten up, will ya?"

Pie teleported into the room as well, already cleaned up from the battle and looking serious as usual, or perhaps even more so. Kisshu turned away from Tart in disgust, and while Tart began paddling around the small pool, Kisshu went over to the side and leaned over, addressing Pie.

Pie said, "There were survivors, Kisshu. Some of the enemy escaped."

Kisshu said, "We can't always get them all. But I think we gave them a good enough fight to keep them too scared to come back."

Pie said calmly, "I disagree. They will simply try a different tactic."

Kisshu raised an eyebrow. "Did you have something in mind?"

Pie paused. Kisshu noted a change in the air. Suddenly, he realized that Pie was about to say something very serious. Tart picked up on it as well, and he stopped splashing around in the water.

Pie duly noted that they were both paying attention, and said, "I've just finished interrogating one of our captives. Apparently, their race has an entire line of technology based entirely on the usage of the blood of their enemies."

Tart said, "Eww."

Kisshu shrugged. "So?"

"So," Pie continued, "one of these such machines is capable of reading someone's blood, meaning, deducing images from the imprint of the blood, thereby giving the viewer a look into that someone's mind."

"What are the pictures of?" Tart asked.

"Anything that someone has seen. A memory. And anything that someone feels particularly strong about shows up more clearly than any other image."

Kisshu frowned. Something was starting to click. "Hmm…so if they had some of our blood…because we were all wounded…"

"…they would have a huge advantage over us," Pie finished. Tart looked shocked.

"B-but that means…can they see…?"

The realization hit Kisshu harder than a full blow of Strawberry Bell. "Ichigo!" he cried, straightening up, as traces of his usual languid manner gone.

"Pudding-san!" Tart cried.

Pie said nothing.

"You don't mean," Tart said, "that they'd go and try to hurt the Mews to get at _us?_"

"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying." Pie looked at his two comrades. Tart looked on the verge of panic. Kisshu could feel something building up in him very fast. Something explosive.

"If they…if they even touch her…" he snarled, his golden eyes flashing. He hurtled himself out of the pool and into his room to get dressed. "Can we confirm your theory, Pie?"

"We don't need to. They did it for us."

Kisshu paused while throwing on his shirt. "What?"

Pie teleported into the room, closely followed by Tart, who had wrapped himself up in a towel.

"What do you mean by that, Pie?" Tart asked.

Maintaining his stony calm, Pie said, "After the captive confessed the technology to me, we received a message from the enemy. It said they were heading for Earth to find the group called the Mew Mews, and if we didn't surrender ourselves as well as our planet to them, they'll kill the Mews and any other human that gets in the way."


	4. Chapter 4: What Do You Mean, A Situation

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters.

Chapter Four: What Do You Mean, A Situation?

"Hey, Ichigo…uh, I was wondering…well, I have a couple tickets to this thing, and uh, see-" Takata blushed and looked down. Ichigo already knew what was coming. Ever since the beginning of the school year, the stammering, somewhat nerdy boy had been trying to invite Ichigo out on a date with him, and Ichigo always had to try and come up with some excuse to get out of it. She gave him an apologetic smile.

"Um, I really can't this weekend, Takata. I've got a test coming up on Monday that I should probably study for."

"Oh." Takata pushed his glasses up his nose awkwardly. "Well, maybe some other time then!"

Ichigo forced a smile. "Right. Sure thing." She said goodbye to him and walked away down the hall, trying not to be too rude. But she was exhausted, and really didn't feel like talking to anyone – not even her best friends.

She'd had the nightmare again last night. After waking up terrified again, she'd grabbed Masha from her nightstand and hugged him all through the rest of the night, until her alarm went off. She hadn't slept, and now she felt incredibly tired and on edge.

"Waaa….I should start drinking a cup of hot tea before I go to bed. Maybe it'll help me get a better sleep, nyan. I can't keep doing this," she groaned as she hobbled along the sidewalk on the way home. Her shoulder's slumped, and Masha chirped from her cell phone encouragingly.

She gave a weak laugh. "Hey Masha, you wanna go to Café Mew Mew? Maybe a soda will wake me up a little before I have to start working."

When she got to Café Mew Mew, Mint, Lettuce, and Pudding were already there. Even though they hadn't had to transform in two years, they still kept the Café open in case trouble showed up again. Zakuro was the only one who wasn't a regular employee anymore – she was excelling in her modeling career, and had told them the night before at dinner that she was considering taking on a new movie role and starting a new album on the side.

"Konichiwa, Ichigo!" Lettuce called to Ichigo.

"You're late – by exactly two minutes. Do you expect the rest of us to do everything around here?" Mint said, perched in her chair with a steaming cup of tea in her hand.

Pudding bounced up to Ichigo and said, "Wow…your eyes are all dark underneath."

Ichigo started. "W-what?" She hurried over to the mirror on the wall and examined her face. She looked terrible – paler than normal, with eyes puffed from lack of sleep. "Waa, I look awful, nyan," she groaned.

"Maybe you should just go home and rest-" Lettuce began.

"Mew Mews!" Ryou raced out into the lobby. "We have a situation!"

The four girls blinked. "Huh?"

"What do you mean, a situation?" Ichigo asked. Ryou gestured impatiently to them.

"Downstairs – and hurry! It's an emergency!"

Ryou ushered them down the steps into the basement, where the real headquarters for Tokyo Mew Mew was established. Keiichiro was already down there, typing away furiously at a computer. He didn't move as Ryou came up behind him.

"What's their progress?" Ryou demanded.

"They've just entered the Earth's atmosphere. They'll need to find somewhere to put their ship before they come here."

"All right. Keep a close eye on them. I need to explain what's going on to the girls." Ryou turned around and addressed the Mews. "It seems that the aliens have returned."

Ichigo's jaw dropped. Lettuce gasped, Pudding squealed, and Mint said in disbelief, "_Excuse_ me?"

"Kisshu." Ichigo's voice was barely a whisper. He was coming here?

"Is P-Pie with them?" Lettuce's face seemed to be a mixture of hope and worry. Only Pudding looked excited.

"Taru-Taru! I get to see Taru-Taru again!" Pudding hopped up and down with joy. "Hooray!"

Ichigo's head was spinning – she barely heard Pudding's voice. Kisshu…what would he look like now? Had he changed in the last two years? Would he want to talk about the final battle? Would he want to ask her about what he'd said?

Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut, the pressure of her questions building up higher and higher. "Why?" she managed to blurt out.

Keiichiro was the one to answer. "We only received one message from them telling us they were coming – it was from Pie, of course," he added, looking kindly at Lettuce. She blushed and looked down at the floor, trying to hide a very small smile. "And he did say that Tart and Kisshu are with him. It's them plus a few other members of their army."

"Their _army_?" Ichigo gasped.

"Wow, cool! Taru-Taru's a military-sensei!" Pudding exclaimed gleefully.

"They haven't explained what they're doing here yet, but we just sent back a message saying to meet us out behind Café Mew Mew. You girls go close up the shop before someone walks in wanting cake," Ryou said. "Asakasa and I will be up in a minute. After they tell us they've safely stored their ship, they said they'd send us another message letting us know."

"Hai!" the Mews said. Then they trooped back upstairs, talking amongst themselves.

"Taru-Taru is coming, Taru-Taru is coming!" Pudding sang.

"I wonder what they're doing here?" Lettuce wondered.

"Who cares, I'm going to miss my salon appointment because of them," Mint sniffed, looking supremely bothered.

Ichigo said quietly, "I wonder if Kisshu even remembers me."

Lettuce turned to Ichigo. "I'm sure he will," she said kindly. "I mean, you two were enemies for a long time, but I think he did…well, I guess he might have…"

Ichigo shook her head, denying what Lettuce had implied. "No, there's no way he really…I mean, he was sent to kill me. I think he was just competing against Aoyama-kun." Ichigo gave herself a little mental slap. There was no way he would've thought about her after leaving to heal his planet. She was just a human, after all – and she'd been heartbroken over Aoyama-kun's death. She'd even come close to swearing she'd never become a Mew again.

As a Mew, she'd thought she was so strong. She and the others had always defeated the enemy, they had always won. And technically, they had won the final battle too – Deep Blue was no more. But in Ichigo's mind, losing Aoyama-kun was a loss that couldn't just be forgotten. She knew that she had been the only one who could have saved him. And she hadn't been able to.

For two years, she'd blamed herself. _Maybe_, she thought to herself, _that's why the nightmares never go away._

"All done!" Pudding said, brushing her hands off. Ichigo blinked. Without realizing it, she'd been wiping the same table off with the same cloth for the last few minutes while the other three had been putting up chairs and putting away the remaining desserts. Pudding had just put up the "Closed" sign and was loosening the bow on her uniform.

The girls quickly changed back into their normal clothes, then trooped outside to the back of the Café. Ichigo didn't realize it at first, but she was shaking from head to foot. Her legs felt wobbly, and she was starting to get a little sweaty from nervousness. Lettuce looked at her out of the corner of her eye, and patted her encouragingly. Mint also noticed Ichigo's tense expression, and sighed, rolling her eyes.

"You'll be fine – who knows, maybe Kisshu has an alien girlfriend or something by now."

The idea sent a shock wave through her body. Then she tried to get a hold of herself. It was a real possibility – the three aliens had probably been accepted as heroes, after all. They would have been very popular. But still…something about the idea made Ichigo feel a bit sick to her stomach.

"Mews!"

"Waaahh!" Ichigo leaped a foot in the air, her tail and ears springing out as Ryou's shout startled her.

"They're coming," Ryou said as he and Keiichiro hurried over to the four girls. "I've also called Zakuro, and she should be here soon-"

"Hey." Zakuro stepped out from the trees, looking as cool-headed and beautiful as usual. "So, they're back, huh?"

"Zakuro!" Mint exclaimed. She looked more excited to see her idol than the aliens. Zakuro joined the other Mews. Ichigo was glaring at Ryou.

"Don't go running up and scaring people like that!" she yelled at him, flattening her ears with her hands and scowling. Ryou ignored her, addressing the other girls and leaving her fuming.

"Pie says there are about four others with them. He said the situation is serious enough that this time they need reinforcements."

"Reinforcements?" the Mews echoed.

"Sounds like they mean business," Zakuro commented, "So when exactly are they-?" But she was interrupted before she could finish.

"Welll….it's certainly been a while since we last met."

Ichigo's heart jumped. That voice. She would know that voice anywhere. In the sky above them, the air wavered, and then – Ichigo blinked, making sure that she was seeing correctly.

There he was.

Kisshu.

His eyes found hers, and he added, grinning, "Hasn't it, neko-chan?"


	5. Chapter 5: Welcome Back to Earth

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew; however, I do own my OC's

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew; however, I do own my OC's.

Chapter Five: Welcome Back to Earth

Ichigo stared. She could barely believe her eyes. There he was…Kisshu. And even though he was mostly the same, there were certain things about him that made him remarkably different…even…could it be?

His greenish hair was mostly styled the same, except a little longer, and she noticed a distinctive amount of new muscle in his shoulders, his chest and…well, everywhere, for the most part. He was a little taller, his face a little older. His eyes were the same though – still clever, still laughing.

Could it be…? He looked – no, he _was_ – remarkably, surprisingly, _unbearably_ handsome. How had this happened?

Everyone was staring at her. But as she opened her mouth to speak, the air around Kisshu wavered, and six other aliens teleported around him. Among them, she saw Pie and Tart, who both looked older as well. Tart was especially different – he'd grown a few inches taller.

"TARU-TARU!" Pudding squealed, clasping her hands together.

"Pie," Lettuce whispered, her eyes shining.

Tart tried not to look too excited. "Pudding-san. It's been a long time-"

"TARU-TARU!" With a leap that defied gravity, Pudding soared into the air and tackled Tart.

"Gah! Hey, leggo!" Tart said, squirming in midair as Pudding clung to his neck.

"I MISSED you, Taru-Taru!" she said happily. "Did you miss me too?"

Tart struggled for a moment longer, but as Pudding's big, bright, endearing eyes stared into his, he gulped and, hanging his head a little, gave up the act and said, "Yeah. I guess so."

"Let's play, Taru-Taru!"

"Don't call me Taru-Taru," Tart muttered as he started toward the ground, with Pudding climbing around his shoulders like a monkey. The rest of the aliens followed him. Ichigo noticed that Kisshu hadn't stopped looking at her.

As they reached ground level, Kisshu started toward her, but before he could, someone reached out from behind him and grabbed his forearm.

"Wait, Kisshu-sensei. What if these aren't the real Mews?"

Kisshu looked around. Ichigo saw one of the aliens step forward. She almost gasped out loud. Standing there was an incredibly striking, beautiful female alien. Her dark hair was tied up in a long ponytail with two low tails draped over her shoulders. She wore an outfit similar to Pie's, and her liquid gold eyes were turning toward Ichigo and…

Ichigo was shocked. The girl was looking at her with nothing but full loathing. As if Ichigo was a disgusting insect she wanted to step on.

Kisshu pulled his arm away from the beautiful alien girl, and said to her, "Of course they're the real Mews, Parfait. Why wouldn't they be?"

The alien girl named Parfait said – rather sourly, in Ichigo's opinion - , "Because our enemies are skilled at body manipulation – they are probably able to disguise themselves as humans."

Kisshu said, "Believe me, these are the real Mews. I fought this same lovely kitty-cat and her friends many times before, haven't I?" With these last words, Kisshu turned his eyes onto Ichigo again, grinning.

To cover her embarrassment, she crossed her arms and scowled. "Hmph. And we kicked your butt every time too."

"That's right," Mint echoed.

Kisshu started to laugh. "Ah, but don't forget, we got what we wanted in the end – our planet has become the most coveted in the galaxy."

"It's our leaders that have kept it safe," Parfait added, glancing deliberately at Kisshu. "With them gone, we're putting our families and friends at great risk." She glared pointedly at Ichigo, as if she'd purposely called them down so that their planet would be vulnerable. Ichigo couldn't understand what the girl had against her – she hadn't even said a word to her yet.

Pie approached Ryou and Keiichiro. "It's been a long time."

Keiichrio said graciously, "Welcome back to Earth. I hope your planet it doing well."

Pie nodded solemnly. "Our people are warm and healthy again. I could ask for no more." He paused. "However, I have not told you the full nature of our visit."

"So what is it?" Ryou demanded. Ichigo could see that Ryou still didn't fully trust the aliens. After all, it had been one of their Chimera Animals that had killed his parents when he was only ten. Pie took it in stride.

He turned to his friends. "These are our best warriors – Crumb, Soda, Scone, and Parfait," he said, pointing to each of the other male aliens and then the one girl. They all nodded respectfully to the Mews.

"We will do our best to protect you," the one called Crumb said. Parfait rolled her eyes.

"Even if you are just humans," she muttered to herself. Pie shot her a glance, Kisshu's eyes cut a sideways glare at her, and Tart, who was still wrestling with Pudding said, "Hey! If it wasn't for them, we wouldn't have gotten the Mew Aqua and stopped Deep Blue from ruining everything!"

"It's all right," Keiichiro said soothingly. "We were enemies once, but I'm sure that if we come together cooperatively you'll be able to return to your home soon."

"Hmph." Parfait crossed her arms. Ichigo wasn't sure what Parfait was thinking, but she understood her concern for her planet. She decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. She stepped up, holding out her hand.

"Welcome to Earth – I'm Ichigo, leader of the Tokyo Mew Mews."

To Ichigo's surprise and great insult, Parfait stared at her outstretched hand as if it was something rotten.

"A pleasure," she said, her voice heavy with sarcasm. Ichigo lost her patience.

"Well fine, so maybe you don't like it, but you're here so you might as well get used to it!" Ichigo said, her face reddening.

Kisshu could barely contain his grin. _There's my fiery little kitty-cat_ – _you haven't been tamed yet, I see_. In fact, from what Kisshu had seen, he could tell that he was quickly becoming even more crazy about her than he already had been.

She looked like her same adorable self, and yet remarkably different in some ways. Her hair was longer – still held in those cute little tails, tied off with red ribbons. She wore a simple white blouse and a yellow skirt with white leggings. Her figure was still small and petite, she was still relatively short, but a little of the girlishness had left her face and her waistline curved more than he remembered.

As far as he could see, she was even more gorgeous then when he'd left. He could hardly keep his eyes off her to listen in to the conversation Pie was having with Ryou and Keiichiro.

But duty called. He told his female subordinate, "That's enough for now," winked at Ichigo saying playfully, "We'll talk later, neko-chan" and floated over to the conference Pie was having with the two humans.

Tart said, "I gotta go talk with the others, let me go!"

"But I wanna play, Taru-Taru!"

"Me too, but we've gotta talk strategy!" Pudding finally let go and Tart hurried over to join the conversation his older friends were having.

Lettuce suddenly piped up from behind. "Um…so can someone tell us exactly what's going on?"

Pie stopped talking when he heard her. He turned to slowly look her full in the face. Immediately, Lettuce was embarrassed, and shrunk back, staring at the ground.

"My apologies. I should have included you in the conversation. This does, of course, concern you five a great deal." Pie inclined his head respectfully. Lettuce looked completely flustered and as if she wanted to disappear on the spot.

"Oh, well, there's no need…I mean, if you were already discussing-"

"Maybe you'd better just go ahead and tell us the situation," Zakuro suggested.

Pie nodded. "Yes, I suppose that is best. Well, to say this plainly, the human race – with the Mews in particular – are being targeted in an attempt to make us surrender our planet to an enemy alien race."

"What?" Lettuce gasped.

"Are you serious?" Mint demanded.

"Why did they think that endangering us would force you to take action?" Ryou asked shrewdly. "If we die, it's of no concern to you."

"That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!" Tart exclaimed indignantly. Everyone stared at him. "I mean, we almost kinda owe you! If we hadn't worked together at the end, our planet would never have been restored."

Pudding was the first to respond after this outburst. "Awww…Taru-Taru, you will ALWAYS be Pudding's friend!" She sprang over to wrap him up in a hug again. Tart looked embarrassed for a moment, then gave up again, smiling grudgingly and hugging her back. Ichigo felt a warm and fuzzy feeling in her chest when she saw them. Then, accidentally, she met Kisshu's eyes again. The look in his eyes made her heart jump spastically. Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. She heard Kisshu chuckle very softly to himself.

"We've got some extra rooms in Café Mew Mew upstairs that you can use. You're welcome to them if you wish," Keichirro said.

"That would be appreciated. We want the rest of the humans to see us as little as possible," Pie said.

Ryou turned to the girls. "Why don't you all go set up the guest rooms with cots? The frames and mattresses are stacked against the wall in the West Room on the second floor, and the linens are in the closet in the laundry room on the first floor."

"Hai!" The Mews trooped back into the Café to do as Ryou said. Pudding waved goodbye to Tart before passing Lettuce and Ichigo inside. Ichigo saw Lettuce look back timidly – Pie was in discussion with Keichirro again. She turned away, her eyes downcast, and went inside. Ichigo followed her and closed the door behind them.


	6. Chapter 6: Boyfriend and Girlfriend?

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew. But Parfait is mine! 

Chapter Six: Boyfriend and Girlfriend?

As Ichigo and Mint worked on a bed together – Mint, for once, actually pitching in – Mint asked, "This doesn't make sense to me."

Ichigo looked up in surprised, pausing as she tucked a corner of the sheets under the mattress. "Well, see, when you make a bed, you just spread the sheets over the matteress like this-"

"No, not that," Mint corrected her. "I mean, Shigarre-san had a point. I know Tart said they owe us for giving them the Mew Aqua, but if they wanted to they could just let us fight the aliens on our own and pretend they aren't involved."

She thought to herself for a moment. "You know what? I'll bet the enemy aliens just said they were going to attack us just so that Kisshu and the others would leave their planet vulnerable to attack."

Ichigo nodded. "Hai, that's what that one girl, Parfait, was saying."

Mint glanced slyly at Ichigo. "She didn't like you much, did she?"

Ichigo turned red and said, "Yeah! She didn't! She was just glaring at me for no reason at all! I didn't do anything to her."

"Nothing?...are you sure about that?"

Ichigo stared at her. "What do you mean, Mint?"

"Well…it's obvious she was jealous," Mint said smugly.

"HUH?"

"Did you see how she was looking at Kisshu?"

She had seen that. And she'd had a suspicion, but she didn't want to admit it to Mint.

Ichigo turned away, picking up a pillow and stuffing it into a pillowcase. "Sure, I saw. So what?"

Mint said, "So they're probably boyfriend and girlfriend."

Ichigo's jaw fell open. "WHAT?" Unfortunetly, that was the same idea she'd had about the two of them. She had just been hoping Mint hadn't gotten the same impression of the situation.

Mint nodded. "Yup. The way she was looking at him was very territorial – I don't think she even wanted you near him." Mint stopped, looking a little surprised at Ichigo's face.

Ichigo was looking down at the ground, unhappily taking in what Mint was saying and imaging in her head, Parfait's beautiful face scowling at her again, and the way she'd grabbed Kisshu's arm and pulled him back. It was probably true.

In which case, she felt doubly ashamed of the fact that the thought of Kisshu was what gave her comfort on the nights she had the bad dreams.

After all…why would Kisshu have continued thinking about her after he left? He had said that one thing…but he could easily have forgotten about it, and in the glory of his return, he would've had a ton of girls liking him.

Ichigo sighed. She wished she didn't care as much as she did. But she couldn't help it. She'd been so sure that there was something in Kisshu's expression as he'd stared at her…but maybe she had imagined it.

She fluffed the pillow and smoothed over the sheets one last time. _He has a girlfriend now. I need to stop thinking about him so much._ She glanced over her handiwork, and walked out of the room.

As she went out, she was startled by Parfait teleporting a few feet away from her. The stunning alien girl looked at Ichigo with the same amount of intense dislike she'd had earlier. As she passed by Ichigo aloofly, she said;

"I hope you set up two beds in here – Kisshu and I will be sharing a room."

Ichigo's face turned bright red. "Oh, uh – h-hai!" Muttering an excuse, she hurried down the stairs as fast as she could, into the kitchen which was, thankfully, deserted.

Ichigo leaned up against the counter, breathing deeply. She felt angry and offended and hurt at the same time, but mostly confused about why she was feeling this way. Last time Kisshu had been on Earth, they'd spent most of their time fighting, but there had been a few times when Kisshu had tried to save her…

_He wanted me to go with him. He was trying to help me escape so he wouldn't have to kill me like Deep Blue wanted. I couldn't leave then, but I saw what he was trying to do…and he got so upset when I said no. As if he not only wanted to save my life, but he also wanted, more than that, just to be with me._

Ichigo shook her head, cursing herself. There was no way. Kisshu had teased her about marrying him, but there was no way he could've really meant all that. She had been his "important toy," that was all. It wasn't like he'd actually had real feelings.

_But he died…Deep Blue stabbed him when he tried to save you-_

"No," Ichigo said firmly. "He would've done that for any of the Mews. He was on our side by then. Even Pie and Tart tried to save us. He just realized what Deep Blue was doing and tried to stand up to him. That's all."

She raked through her hair in agitation and said convincingly, "He's with Parfait. I have no business trying to…trying to…"

_Trying to what, exactly?_

With a slight waver in the air, Kisshu teleported inside the upstairs hallway of Café Mew Mew. The conference was finally done; Ryou and Keiichiro had been shocked by the blood technology of the enemy aliens. Ryou, in particular, had looked at Kisshu with deep mistrust when Pie explained that the images in their blood pointed to the Mew Mews. But both the men had accepted the situation, understanding that for the moment, the aliens were here to keep an eye on the girls and the rest of the humans in Tokyo as well, and defend them if they had to.

Now that all that boring talk was over, all Kisshu wanted to do was go find Ichigo. The girl had looked positively adorable when she'd blushed, and ever since seeing her again, he'd been bent on having a one-on-one moment with her. Without her friends around, without Ryou, and certainly without-

"Kisshu-sensei. In here."

Kisshu saw Parfait hovering in the doorway to one of the rooms. She was looking at him in relatively the same way he always found himself looking at Ichigo. With a kind of clever delight. As if she wanted him to be hers, and no one else's.

She said unapologetically, "We've been assigned to this room."

Kisshu raised an eyebrow. " 'Assigned?' Are you up to your usual tricks, Parfait?"

Parfait gave a smirk. "And what tricks are those? I assure you, if you find them ineffective, I'd be perfectly open to learning some of yours."

Kisshu sighed. It never changed with her. Ever since becoming a leader of the army, Parfait had been hinting at how much she liked him, and even going to far as to chase off any other girls who might catch his interest. She was terribly jealous, and he'd heard stories of her bullying other girls into transferring to different stations just so she could have him to herself. And Kisshu had certainly caught her giving Ichigo the death-stare. He'd been pleasantly surprised to see Ichigo stand up for herself instead of just cowering away.

But that didn't mean he was going to let Parfait get away with harassing her. That was his job – and it was okay when he did it, because of course, he was crazy about her and would never look at her as if he hated her.

"Speaking of learning," Kisshu said, "maybe you should take a note; leave Ichigo alone."

Parfait sniffed arrogantly. "Why should I? I've seen the way you look at her. That pathetic little girl has got you under her foot! If nothing else, let me at least prove that she is an inadequet partner for you."

"I don't recall asking for your help," Kisshu said smoothly. "In fact, I think you'd better do what I say before I have to put under house arrest for bad behavior."

Parfait wasn't fazed. With a coy smile, she merely commented, "If it's you dealing the hand of punishment, I have no objections. I am known for being bad, after all. We could have some fun."

For a moment, Kisshu was too annoyed and disgusted at her implications to even respond. Then, with a grimace, he said, "I'm rooming with Tart. If I find out you've been bothering Ichigo, you won't enjoy the consequences."

Finally, Parfait's face had lost its slyness. She knew he meant business. When it came to punishment, it was Kisshu who could control even the worst behavior. Tart merely yelled and fumed and stormed around his office when he was lecturing someone who had misbehaved. Pie, meanwhile, took his usual approach of a low, calm, deadly voice and a look that could pierce metal. However, when they were ineffective, they sent the wrong-doer to Kisshu. Kisshu was the only one who was truly strong enough and scary enough to shake someone up – with his deadly Dragon Swords and his cunning ways of interrogation, he was very good at making his subordinates afraid and, subsequently, regretful of their previous behavior. Though he seemed much more light-hearted than Pie or Tart, in reality, it was his unpredictable, disconcerting temperment that made him formidable. When disobedient warriors came in expecting more yelling and seriousness, it terrified them to instead see the leader casually juggling his Dragon Swords and speaking to them as if they were having lunch together.

Parfait's normally beautiful face had turned ugly with displeasure. Kisshu floated away down the hall, hoping that Ichigo hadn't already left. After dealing with Parfait, a good dose of the cute, feisty, cat-eared red-head was just what he needed.


	7. Chapter 7: She Still Loves Aoyama

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

Chapter Seven: She Still Loves Aoyama

After an hour of reading the same lines over and over again in her English textbook, Ichigo gave up on the idea of homework. She was on edge and exhausted at the same time, and conjugating verbs was not the way to relax. Closing her book, she stretched her arms over her head, flexing her fingers as if they were claws.

She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Kisshu and Parfait. Were they really boyfriend and girlfriend, or was she just making a big deal out of nothing? She thought it had been a pretty big give-away when Parfait said they were sharing a room, but still, the way Kisshu had looked at her felt like…like he had been happy to see her.

Well, for her part, she'd been happy to see him too. Until Parfait had stepped in. Parfait, the beautiful, aloof, disrespectful warrior. How could she compete with an elite alien like that?

_Not like I am actually competing,_ she corrected herself quickly. _There's no way we could…I mean, obviously we're…_

"I'm too tired for this, nyan," she groaned. "I'm going to bed." Getting up from her desk, she quickly changed into her pink pajamas, after brushing her teeth, removing her pigtails, and turning off the lights, crawled under the covers.

_School tomorrow…great._ She hadn't finished her homework, but maybe she could wake up a little earlier tomorrow morning and get it done. Right now, all she wanted to do was try and sleep, without any bad dreams.

Teleporting quietly into the night sky, Kisshu appeared around the side of Ichigo's house. He glanced around. All the lights were off, and the neighborhood was quiet. Smiling a little, he floated up to Ichigo's window and peered through the glass.

His stomach gave a jolt. His smile vanished.

Ichigo was tossing around in her bed, with a terrified, awful expression on her face. It was as if she were seeing somebody die right before her eyes, and she couldn't do anything to stop it. From behind the glass window, Kisshu saw tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

Immediately, Kisshu stuck his fingers under the minute crack under the window and pulled it up the rest of the way. Bracing himself against the frame, he squeezed his way inside, noting that a few years ago it would've been much easier. Once he'd straightened again, he floated over to Ichigo's bed, careful not to disturb anything.

Closer up, he felt his throat clench up. It was even worse than he'd thought. Not only was she twisting around with that pained grimace on her face, but she was mumbling in her sleep. Nothing was intelligible – it sounded more like whimpers than anything else.

He had come hoping that she was still awake and they could talk. Waiting all day had driven him insane, but he'd wanted to make sure she was alone. Apparently though, she must've been tired enough to go to bed early. Her school books were stacked on her desk, with a half-finished page of homework on top and a pencil.

Kisshu turned his attention back to Ichigo. His poor little neko-chan was still caught in the bad dream. He couldn't stand it any longer. Floating closer, he gently rested his weight on the bed and slowly, carefully, put both his arms around her and stilled her head by placing his in the crook of her neck. His mouth against the pillow and his nose in her hair, he felt her stop moving underneath him, and her whimpers ceased.

He breathed in the smell of her hair. It was sweet, like strawberries. He hoped that she wouldn't wake up…or if she did, she would miraculously let him stay, even if she made him sit on the floor…

But no. Something worse happened.

The barely conscious Ichigo felt Kisshu there, just slightly. In her sleep, she felt around his back with her hand.

Then she said it.

"…A-Aoyama…kun?"

Kisshu head flooded with rage. She was thinking about _him? _The human boy? Was there never a moment that she wasn't thinking about him? Would there ever be any room in her heart for Kisshu? In an instant, he leaped away from her and hurtled out the window.

It was just in time. As he wrenched away from her, Ichigo's eyes flew open at the sudden movement, but she didn't turn her head in time to catch him rushing out the window. Instead, when she sat bolt upright, all she noticed was that the window was open, blowing air inside her room.

Her head was still fuzzy. She'd been caught in the nightmare again, but something had been different this time. As she'd been crying over Aoyama-kun's body, she felt a sudden warm presence beside her…she hadn't been able to tell if it was in the dream, or in reality. Slowly, the dream had faded away, and she came to realize, in her semi-conscious state, that someone was physically there. As she'd just been staring at Aoyama-kun, that was the first thought that came to her mind. She wasn't sure if she simply thought it in her head, or said it out loud.

Then, almost violently, the warmth had been ripped away, and the suddenness of it had forced her eyes open. But she hadn't been fast enough to see who it was. As the wind played with the curtains on her window, she frowned, trying to make her disoriented brain think.

It might have been…but no, why would he come here?

"Kisshu," she said quietly. Had he been in her room just now? What had he been doing? Had he…held her? Her eyes widened.

"Maybe he was," she said quietly, "and then…when I said 'Aoyama-kun'…" She thought about it for a moment. Then, she shook her head, denying the thought.

"That's ridiculous. It was just part of the dream." She laid back down and closed her eyes.

Outside, Kisshu was long gone. Soaring over the city, his face contorted in anger, he could think of nothing else but what she'd said.

_She still loves Aoyama. Does she still think about him all the time? Does she think about him as much as I think about her?_

_Because I never stop thinking about her. I can't. She's all I want. _Of this, Kisshu was certain. But it was beginning to feel hopeless. If it had been two years since Aoyama had died and she was still have dreams about him, then clearly she hadn't spent any brainpower on Kisshu. Maybe he should just give up.

_But I came here to protect her. So even if I don't have her love, I'm going to keep her safe anyway._ Firm in his decision, he flew back to Café Mew Mew, where he was sure Tart was asleep and wouldn't hear him come in.


	8. Chapter 8: Being a Good Friend

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew.

Chapter Eight: Being a Good Friend

After a long and trying day at school, Ichigo was in no mood to go to work. Walking as slowly as she could in the direction of Café Mew Mew, she wondered what Ryou would say if she just went home and curled up in bed. Lately sleep seemed to be the only thing she wanted, but at night she never got enough of it.

"Maybe Kisshu will be at the Café. I could say hello and ask how things are going on his planet." She had to admit, she was extremely curious about how much Kisshu and his planet had changed. She had yet to have an actual conversation with him. Maybe she could catch him during one of her breaks and ask him about his new, higher position. She also wanted to know how the enemy aliens had found out about the Mew Mews.

"After all, I am the leader of the Tokyo Mew Mews. I should be informed about these kinds of things," she said, trying to exude confidence. As she crossed through the park, she heard a couple of voices talking behind one of the trees. Looking around, she saw – an unpleasant jolt shot through her – Parfait talking with Kisshu. She was standing, in Ichigo's opinion, awfully close to him, and the expression on her beautiful face was clever and conniving, as if she was trying to wheedle something out of him.

She couldn't hear exactly what they were saying. However, her eavesdropping came to an abrupt halt as Kisshu looked up at her. She started, her face going red and both her tail and ears popping out.

"Waaa!" she yelped, trying to hide them both. Turning away from Kisshu in utter humiliation, she hurried away toward the Café. "Hey, neko-chan!" she heard Kisshu call behind her. She didn't stop or look back. But before she could reach the door to the Café, Kisshu materialized in front of her.

"K-Kisshu!" she yelped, still vainly trying to cover her ears.

Kisshu was grinning at her. "Long time no see, Ichigo. I'd been hoping I'd get a chance to talk to you. How's things?"

"Oh, uh, they're great!" Ichigo said brightly. "And what about you? I guess you're pretty famous on your planet now, huh?" She wished she could have said something more clever. Seeing Kisshu grinning at her – just like old times, except without the intention of a fight – made her feel suddenly warm inside. She didn't want to admit it, but it occurred to her a second time just how _good looking_ he was. Had he been this way all along? Had growing up and two years of not seeing him simply enhanced the qualities he'd had already? Had she just never noticed because they'd always been fighting, and because she'd been in love with Aoyama-kun?

Meanwhile, Kisshu was taking in every perfect ounce of Ichigo. She was in her school uniform – a form-fitting, short-skirted affair – and her blush hadn't failed to appear as it usually did when she was embarrassed. Watching her mouth move as she talked, it suddenly occurred to him how much he'd like to kiss her.

"Oh, famous enough to have a nice house and all that," Kisshu said casually. "We're all doing much better ever since we brought the Mew Aqua. Why are you hiding your ears?" he added, grinning wider, "They're very…cute."

"Th-they are?" Ichigo couldn't help but feel pleased by the compliment. She was so used to having to try and cover up for being a "freak." No one had ever told her they looked good before.

"Of course. You always look cute. Especially when we were fighting each other, and you were wearing that pink dress and a bow on your tail."

Ichigo stared. "You remember what I was wearing?"

Kisshu laughed. "Neko-chan, I even remember what you used to say when you used your Strawberry Bell."

"You do?"

"Hai."

Ichigo was silent for a moment. Then, she put her hands on her hips and said huffily, "Hmph. Well, for my part, I remember what you said when you gave us another Chimera Animal to deal with."

"And what was that?"

Ichigo pumped her fist into the air, struck a pose, and declared, "FUSION!"

Kisshu almost doubled over laughing. "Th-that's right!" he said, almost incoherent with mirth. "Neko-chan, why did we spend so much time fighting when we could've been doing this instead?"

Ichigo said, "Well, obviously you were trying to kill us."

Kisshu hit himself in the forehead. "What a dumb idea. I should've spent my time trying to kiss you instead of get rid of you!"

She couldn't believe what he'd just said. "K-Kisshu!" Ichigo spluttered. She suddenly felt mad. What was he doing, teasing her about kissing when he had a girlfriend? Never mind that he couldn't just go up and kiss her whenever he wanted anyway; Parfait would be furious if she found out her boyfriend was interested in kissing another girl.

Ichigo's thoughts reached her face, and Kisshu noticed the change of expression. He was confused. "Something wrong, neko-chan?"

Ichigo tried to be cool with him. "Excuse me, I have to go start work." She tried to walk past him. But to her shock, he suddenly seized her and wrapped his arms around her, crushing her to his chest. Not only was she surprised by the gesture, but she also noticed how muscular his chest felt against her body…how nice it felt…

"Okay, Ichigo," she heard Kisshu say. "If you insist. But let's talk again. This conversation has been too good to end so soon." Then, just as abruptly, he let go of her and propelled himself into the air, where he teleported out of sight.

--

"Taru-Taru! I brought you a snack!" Pudding skidded up to Tart, who was lounging in one of the heart-shaped chairs. The Café had closed for the day, and Tart had come down out of his room out of boredom, much to Pudding's delight. Now, it seemed, she was bent on impressing him with her impeccable service.

Tart looked surprised as she shoved the plate in his face. "What is it?"

Pudding beamed. "It's our very own, homemade, milk-chocolate truffle cake! Try some!"

Ichigo saw Tart had some reservations, but nevertheless, he took the plate from Pudding's hands. He picked up the fork, hesitantly stabbed the entire piece, and took medium sized bite out of the frosted end. Pudding watched his face intently.

Tart swallowed. Then he grinned. "This is amazing!" He attempted to stuff the rest into his mouth at once and ended up spilling most of it onto his lap. His mouth was covered in a ring of frosting.

Pudding giggled. "Taru-Taru, you're so messy!"

Tart looked heartily embarrassed and tried to cover up for it. "Yeah, well, we don't have anything like this at home?"

Pudding looked shocked. "No cake? Boy, am I glad I live here!" Tart looked at her strangely and she hurried away to get him a towel for his face.

Ichigo returned to sweeping the floor. During her shift, she hadn't been able to forget the way Kisshu had hugged her before he left. Had it just been a friendly gesture, or something more.

She badly, _badly_ wanted it to be more. But she couldn't be sure. Then an idea struck her. She glanced over at Tart, who was attempting to clean his face with hands. "Hey, Tart-kun?"

Tart looked up at her. "Huh? What is it?"

Ichigo fiddled with the broom handle. "Well, I was just wondering if…well, can I ask you something?"

Tart straightened a little as if preparing for a blow. "Sure."

"Does…does Kisshu have a…a girlfriend?"

Tart stared at her for a moment. Then he giggled. "Oh, okay, I thought you were going to ask something about me, Ichigo-san. Well," he continued, "I don't know, but I know Parfait-san hangs out with him a lot."

"Oh, does she?" Ichigo said weakly, feeling ill.

"Yeah. Almost all the time. She's always wanting to train with him, or something."

Pudding flew back into the room, trailing a wet towel behind her. "Here, Taru-Taru, let me do it!" she chirped. Tart had a look of protest of his face.

"I can do it myself-"

"Hold still!" Pudding quelled his words, and started to wipe his face off. Ichigo watched them. Tart was being obediently immobile, and as Pudding was cleaning, Ichigo could see the look of concentration on her face. She wanted it to be perfect. Ichigo wondered how it would feel to do something like that for Kisshu…something to show that she cared…but would it be out of line? Tart hadn't exactly said Kisshu and Parfait were dating, but from what she'd heard it was pretty likely. The thought didn't cheer her up at all.

"All done!" Pudding said cheerfully, folding up the towel and surveying her handiwork. Tart looked up at her as if seeing her differently.

"Thanks, Pudding-san," he said. Then he added, "You're a good friend."

Pudding stared at him for a long moment, her eyes wide. Then, with a squeal of delight, she jumped on him, knocking the chair over with a clatter. Tart yelled as he went down.

"YOU'RE PUDDING'S FRIEND TOO TARU-TARU, ONE OF MY VERY BEST FRIENDS!" Pudding hugged Tart so tightly Ichigo feared he might suffocate. Giggling to herself, Ichigo walked outside to sweep the walk.

The air had turned a little cool, since it was now evening. As Ichigo went back and forth with the broom, she thought about how Pudding and Tart got along so well. Their relationship seemed so uncomplicated. And even though they liked each other, mostly they were just good friends.

_Maybe I should try that…I could just try being a good friend to Kisshu_. She considered the idea. She thought it could potentially work; she would make herself a promise not to do anything that went beyond friendship, or anything that would make him think she was interested in him. That would take away the whole idea of whether she liked him or not, or whether she thought he was attractive or not. If she just decided now not to be anything more than a friend to him, then she could forget all about whether Parfait was his girlfriend or not.

Ichigo gave a firm nod, and said to herself, _Good idea, Ichigo. We'll just be friends._ She sighed, feeling like some of the weight she'd been carrying around on her had been lifted. She'd just have to get over how Kisshu looked now, or the way he smiled at her, or his comment about trying to kiss her…

"Maybe you didn't notice, the bed sheet had a stain on it."

Ichigo looked up quickly. Parfait was floating toward her, a slight look of disdain on her otherwise breathtaking face. Her clothes billowed out behind her as a slight breeze passed them. Ichigo was reminded of a model.

Parfait said again, as if Ichigo was mentally retarded, "The sheet. On my bed. It has a stain on it."

Ichigo started. "Oh! Hai, well, sorry about that. Would you like me to change them for you?"

Parfait looked at Ichigo scornfully. "No. I'll have one of the other Mews do it."

She started to float away.

Ichigo began to shake with anger. Regardless of who Parfait was, she wouldn't get away with being a jerk to her. Ichigo called, "Hey! Just wait a second!"

Parfait paused.

Ichigo gripped the broom handle tight and said loudly, "I don't know what your problem is with me, but I didn't do anything to you. Now you can either tell me why you don't like me, or you can have this broom in your face! So are you going to tell me or not?"

With a dramatic pause, Parfait slowly turned around to address Ichigo. "Stay away from Kisshu. I'm sure that in your pathetic little human mind, you thought that maybe in the past he had some sort of significant interest in you. Well, I've been with him a lot longer than you have, and here's the real truth; you were a passing amusement to him. Once he left Earth, he didn't give you a second thought. Maybe when he was here before, you had some sort of strange hold on him, but now that I've accompanied him, that won't be happening again." Parfait took a breath to watch Ichigo's face. She looked stunned. Parfait, looking satisfied that she'd successfully shaken her up, began to move away, saying, "Besides, why would he be interested in you? You couldn't even save the one you loved, could you?"

Ichigo gasped. Parfait smirked, and then with a brief waver of the air, teleported away.

For a moment, Ichigo could do nothing but stand there trembling. Then, she bit her lower lip. She felt her throat catch. The broom slipped from her fingers and clattered onto the ground.

Covering her face, Ichigo sprinted away from Café Mew Mew into the safety of the trees, sobbing uncontrollably into her hands.


	9. Chapter 9: Is That A Poem?

Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far! Please remember to review!

PS: The action will pick up soon. Stay tuned!

Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Mew Mew

Chapter Nine: Is That…A Poem?

If Kisshu hadn't glanced out the window of his room at that exact moment, he wouldn't have seen Ichigo sprint into the woods as if there were an army of Chimera Animals after her. But when he saw her, he sprang up out of his chair. He knew instinctively that something was wrong. Her broom lay abandoned on the walk.

Quickly, he teleported out of his room, emerging outside on the sidewalk next to the broom. He floated after Ichigo, who had run out of sight. Kisshu strained his ears – to his horror, he picked up on what sounded like crying. He sped up. The next thing he knew, he had caught up with her. As he had the night before in her room, he felt his throat catch when he saw her.

She was bent over, hugging herself, her body shaking. Sobbing and hiccupping, she was trying to stifle herself, and at the same time, letting out wails of grief. Every anguished wail pulled Kisshu closer to the point of crushing her into his arms. He floated closer to her.

"Ichigo?"

Ichigo seemed to jump about a foot in the air with fright. "Oh! K-Kisshu!" she stammered. Her face was streaked with tears. Kisshu felt his heart wrench at the sight. He started to reach out for her.

"Neko-chan, what happened?"

To his surprise, Ichigo practically catapulted herself away from him. "No!" she yelped. "No, no, it's okay! I'm okay, we're just friends, okay?"

"Huh?"

"Friends!" she babbled, trying vainly to wipe away the tears that continued to pour out of her eyes. She gave a hiccup. "We're friends, hopefully good ones! It's okay, I have to go!"

"Wait, Ichigo-"

"No!" Ichigo's voice went up a little at the end, as if she was close to panicking. "No, just go Kisshu, just leave me alone!"

"But I'm confused." Suddenly, a light went off in his head. His face contorted into a predatory look. "Was it Parfait? Did she say something to you?" he demanded.

"No, no, no!" Ichigo said, waving her hands in protest. "Please, I just need to go, please don't follow me." Turning away, Ichigo sprinted farther into the trees, leaving Kisshu standing alone in the woods.

Kisshu could almost feel the fire in his veins. Whatever Ichigo said, he was positive Parfait was responsible. He'd only seen Ichigo this upset once, and that was at the time Aoyama died. Only a reminder of him could set her off this badly. As much as he wanted to pursue her and cradle her in his arms and comfort her, he was afraid that Ichigo didn't want him around. Not when she was upset and thinking about Aoyama.

As it was, Kisshu was ready to kill Parfait. With a look of murder in his eyes, he rose up quickly into the air, scanning the area to see if she was lurking outside.

"No one…_no one_…hurts Ichigo!" he snarled, making a dive for the Café. With a ripple of air, he teleported inside, hell-bent on finding Parfait.

--

"Ichigo! What's wrong?" Lettuce looked shocked to see a nearly hysterical Ichigo on her doorstep.

Ichigo gulped. "C-can I come in?"

"Of course!" Lettuce quickly ushered her inside. "Come sit on the couch. I'll get you the box of tissues and make us some tea."

"Th-thanks," Ichigo said, trying to get control of her breathing. With all the parental nurturing of a mother, Lettuce handed Ichigo the box of tissues and draped a blanket over her shoulders. Then she hurried to warm up water for the tea in the kitchen.

By the time Lettuce had returned, Ichigo had calmed down a bit. She was still sniveling, but at least she could breath normally now. "Now," Lettuce said, setting their two cups on coasters and pushing Ichigo's gently toward her, "tell me what happened. Was is something to do with Kisshu?"

Ichigo shook her head miserably. "Well, mostly it wasn't…I mean, he wanted to help, I think, but…" She took a deep breath. "It was Parfait."

Lettuce looked startled as she sat down next to Ichigo on the couch. "The female alien?"

"Hai."

Ichigo then proceeded to tell Lettuce what had happened, concluding with how she'd acted toward Kisshu. "I feel like such a huge baka, nyan," she groaned, setting down her tea and covering her face up with the blanket.

Lettuce was incredibly sympathetic. "There's no excuse for what she said – anyone would have reacted badly," she said. Then she gave an encouraging smile. "Hey, Kisshu seemed pretty angry when he guessed what was wrong, didn't he?"

"Hai."

"Well then, maybe that means he does like you! If Parfait was his girlfriend, he would've been more likely to side with her, wouldn't he have?"

Ichigo stared at Lettuce as she thought about what she was saying. "You mean…maybe he was…trying to…?"

RRRRRRRIIIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGGG!

"Waaaa!" Ichigo jumped. Lettuce sighed.

"Sorry. Excuse me." Lettuce got up off the couch to answer the phone that was sitting in the kitchen. Ichigo's head was spinning. At least she was calm now.

Lettuce came back looking confused. "It's for you, Ichigo."

Ichigo's heart nearly stopped. "Kisshu?"

Lettuce shook her head. "No – he says his name is Takata?"

Ichigo let out a sigh of relief. "Oh, okay, I know him. I'll take it." She reached out for the phone and brought it up to her ear. Takata calling was weird, but at least it wasn't anything alien-related.

"Konichiwa?"

"Hey, um, Ichigo, it's, uh, it's Takata!"

"Hey, Takata. What's up?"

"Well, I was just calling because, well, um, it's Friday night and they've got a two for one dinners at Ichiban on Fridays, so I just wanted to, um, ask if you'd like to, uh, go to that."

"Sorry, Takata, I can't," she intoned into the phone. She felt like she had that answer programmed into her by now, she had to say it so often. She would've felt bad if the guy sounded upset, but he never did.

"Oh. Okay. Maybe another time then!"

"Maybe," Ichigo said, too polite to shut him down completely. "Bye, Takata."

"Bye, Ichigo!" Ichigo turned off the phone, set it down on her lap, and then asked;

"How in the heck did he know to call me here?"

Lettuce looked over in surprise. "Did you tell anyone you were coming here?"

Ichigo shook her head. "That's really weird. I guess I'll ask him sometime." She pushed away thoughts of Takata, getting back to the matter at hand. "So, what were we saying before?"

Lettuce had to think about it for a moment before she remembered. "Oh! I was saying that maybe Kisshu likes you and that's why he was defending you! Did he look like he was concerned?"

Ichigo hung her head. "It doesn't matter – I told him we were just friends."

Lettuce gasped. "You did _what_?"

Ichigo nodded unhappily. "I figured if I just decided to only be his friend, I wouldn't have to worry about whether Parfait was his girlfriend or not." She stared at her half-empty cup of tea on the table. Then, a sheet of paper lying on the table caught her eye. "Hey, Lettuce…"

"Hmm?"

"Is that…a poem?"

Lettuce looked around, saw what Ichigo was staring at, and gave a yelp, snatching it off the table. "Oh, it's nothing!" she cried. "Nothing at all!"

Ichigo grinned. "Is it for Pie?"

Lettuce gasped, then cast her eyes down in shame. "Well, it's not very good, and I really didn't plan on giving it to him – I was just writing down my feelings."

"Can I read it?"

"Well, um, I suppose…but it's not very well-written at all…"

"I'll be the judge of that!" Ichigo declared, taking the paper and straightening it with a flourish. Quickly, she read over the lines that Lettuce had written in her neatest calligraphy.

She was stunned to find how beautiful the words were. "This is amazing, Lettuce!" she said once she'd finished. "Maybe you really should give this to Pie!"

"No, no, I couldn't do that!" Lettuce exclaimed. "I'm sure he doesn't feel that way about me."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "I'm not so sure about that."

Lettuce looked shocked. "What do you mean by that?"

Ichigo said, "Well, whenever you're around, he gets this look on his face. Even when he's not looking at you, the look stays on his face until you leave. It's like…like he's hiding something," Ichigo decided. "He's afraid you don't feel the same way about him!"

Ichigo watched as her shy, green-haired friend considered what she was saying. "Do…do you really think so?"

"Yeah, I do! And you know what else?" Ichigo was delighted at the idea that Pie might be harboring a secret crush as Lettuce was with him. "I'll bet he'd appreciate something more subtle like a letter or a poem then you just flat-out telling him!"

"R-really?"

"Yeah! He's a quiet, reserved kind of guy. For Tart, Pudding gives him cake and hugs him all the time. For Pie, it's obviously going to be something different. Hey, the worst that can happen is that he won't act on it, and then you'll know for sure, right? Because," Ichigo said confidently, "no one could just sit around and do nothing after reading that! It's beautiful!"

Lettuce was beginning to look a little more comfortable with the idea. "Well…I suppose if you think it's a good idea…"

"Absolutely! Now, we should just fold it up very discreetly, and I can give it to him if you don't want to."

Lettuce looked relieved when Ichigo volunteered herself. "That would be all right," she said. "I'm just...I'm afraid of looking silly, I guess."

Ichigo patted her shoulder. "It'll be fine. He'll love it!"

--

He could see the two girls in the window, but he was too far away to detect what they were saying. No matter.

They would have plenty of time to talk later. When he and his friends had kidnapped the Tokyo Mew Mews and were holding them hostage. Then they could talk for hours.

He smiled. He could hardly wait until they did. Then the Mew Aqua planet would finally be theirs. He was sure of it.


	10. Chapter 10: That Hated Word

Author's Note: So right now I'm updating pretty fast, and hopefully I'll keep this pace up, but once I start getting mountains of homework again I probably won't be as speedy. Be cool though - I will finish the story!

Thank you very much for reading this far and I hope you are enjoying it! Feel free to review! It's very encouraging!

Disclaimer: I only own my OC's, not Tokyo Mew Mew or any of its characters.

Chapter Ten: That Hated Word

"Maybe I should just send you back."

"No, Kisshu!" Abandoning all of her usual dignity, Parfait was cowering on the floor at Kisshu's feet. His Dragon Swords clutched loosely in his hands, he stared down at her with nothing but anger. He wasn't in the mood to play games like he usually did. It was a side of him no one ever saw, but when it came to hurting Ichigo's feelings…well, that was unforgivable.

"Do I have to protect her from you too?" Kisshu spat. "Because it's looking an awful lot like that's the case."

"Kisshu!" Parfait cast her glowing, golden eyes up to meet his. "It's not that I was trying to hurt her! I just – you know how I get when I see other girls with you! They're not good enough for you, I'm just-"

"They're usually a lot better than you, Parfait," Kisshu snapped. "Especially Ichigo. And just for your information, there has never been anyone else for me but Ichigo."

Parfait gasped, backing away. "You can't be serious! You, and a human?"

Kisshu scowled at her. Then he said, "Not exactly. She still hasn't recovered from the death of Aoyama."

Parfait looked relieved. Kisshu's face hardened, and he suddenly gripped his swords tight. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to protect her!" he said, sending Parfait cowering to the floor again. "She may be a powerful Mew, but she's no match for the enemy aliens, especially if she gets caught by herself. If I have to protect her from you as well, then I'm happy to humor you."

Parfait glanced at the tip of the sword. "You wouldn't kill me. I'm one of your best warriors."

"No – however, I wouldn't hesitate to mutilate that face you take so much pride in."

Parfait gasped again, clutching at her smooth cheeks. "You wouldn't!" she said, her face filled with horror.

"Watch me," Kisshu snarled, heading toward the door. "If I hear you've even talked to Ichigo again, you won't be able to look at yourself in a mirror!" With that dramatic sentiment, Kisshu stormed out.

Streaking down the hall, Kisshu almost passed right by Pie, who was standing at one of the windows. As it was, Pie looked unusually agitated – which wasn't to say it looked much different then what he usually looked like. But Kisshu had been around Pie long enough to tell when something was up.

Kisshu stopped abruptly beside him, his pulse slowing gradually. Pie had a piece of paper clutched in one hand, and though his eyes were focused outside, he was frowning awfully hard, as if he had a headache. Kisshu asked, "You look tense. Something happen?"

Pie glanced at him, his concentration breaking. "Hmm. You as well."

"It's all right, it's been handled. Where are Crumb, Scone, and Soda?"

"Downstairs in the basement. They've been obsessed with the human's technology ever since we came here."

"I see." Kisshu tried to see what was on the piece of paper. Pie swiftly folded it back up into a neat square, and hid it away. Kisshu's curiosity was piqued. "What is that?"

Pie glanced at him sideways. "Nothing." Without another sound, he teleported away. Kisshu shrugged. He was used to Pie doing things without explaining them. His bigger concern, for the moment, was making sure Ichigo was okay.

Last night he hadn't been able to find Parfait – in fact, he hadn't been able to track her down until this afternoon. Now the Café was about to close, and if he didn't hurry up he would miss talking to Ichigo again. Hopefully by now she had calmed down and wouldn't try to run away again.

When Kisshu arrived downstairs, he was surprised to see there was one human customer who had yet to leave. Then, as he registered what exactly this human was doing, he felt himself grit his teeth angrily.

He had been sitting by himself at a table. But then, Ichigo – dressed to perfection in that highly enticing work uniform – brought over a slice of cheesecake on a small white plate, and a cup of tea. Hiding behind the corner, Kisshu could hear what the awkward looking boy was saying.

"Th-this looks really great, Ichigo-san!" The boy pushed his glasses up his nose.

"No problem, Takata. Desserts are our specialty."

From behind the corner, Kisshu grinned wickedly. His beloved neko-chan sounded like she wanted to bang the idiotic human boy over the head with her serving tray.

The boy named Takata took a bite of the dessert. "This is delicious!" he said. Then he added, "Do you wanna share this slice with me?"

Fuming behind the corner, Kisshu wanted to drop-kick the little fool out of the Café, and then maybe stab him. No doubt about it – he still had a tendency to get insanely jealous when another boy was too friendly with Ichigo.

For her part, Ichigo sounded tired and ready for him to leave. "Sorry, I'm still on the clock," she said, trying not to sound too rude. Kisshu saw her walk back into the kitchen – noticing, in particular, the way her legs moved in that extremely attractive way – and immediately teleported over to meet her inside.

When she saw him leaning against the counter, Ichigo almost dropped her tray. "Kisshu!"

He gave her a wide grin. "Hey, neko-chan. What, don't I get dessert too?"

Ichigo smiled, her familiar blush creeping up. "Sure. What kind would you like?"

"How about you choose for me." Kisshu met her eyes, holding her gaze for as long as he could before she blinked and turned away. She meandered over to the dessert station and pondered the remaining options. They'd had a busy day, and most of the trays had been completely emptied.

"Hmm…I think…I'm going to have you try…the strawberry shortcake torte." Happy with her decision, she grabbed a dessert plate and scooped up some of the concoction left in the tray, then grabbed a can of whipped cream and artfully sprayed a few dots on top. Then, she set up a sliced strawberry for a garnish on the side. Picking up a clean fork, she held out the whole ensemble to Kisshu.

Grinning, he took the plate from her. "Looks good, neko-chan. Arigouto."

"Sure thing." Ichigo waited anxiously, bobbing on her toes, as he tried it. As he'd expected, it was delicious.

"Mmm," he said, not even bothering to form a coherent compliment before taking a second monstrous bite. To his delight, Ichigo let out a giggle.

"Glad you like it! So, um, how have you been lately?"

Kisshu polished off the plate and handed it back to her. "Not bad. We've been trying to track the enemy aliens to see if they've landed, but it's hard because their technology is so different from ours. Neither your or my people are so much into the manipulation of body parts as they are."

Ichigo wrinkled her nose. "Yeah, definitely not."

Kisshu paused for a moment. "And how have you been? Better?"

Ichigo nodded, looking embarrassed. "Hai. Uh, sorry about acting so weird yesterday."

"It's all right. I had a little talk with Parfait."

Ichigo looked nervous. "Was did you say to her?"

Kisshu smiled. "Don't you worry about it, kitty-cat. Just keep being as cute as you are, and I'll make sure she watches her mouth."

To his amusement, Ichigo ducked her head humbly. He started to reach out to tilt her chin back toward him. But before he could, she turned away and started to clean up.

"That would be nice," Ichigo said, turning on the faucet and squirting soap into the sink. "I'd hate for us to stop being friends because of that."

Kisshu felt like someone had thrown ice water in his face. "F-friends?" He was stunned. Was that really all that Ichigo thought of him as?

"Sure," Ichigo said casually. "And we are good friends, aren't we?"

"H-hai," Kisshu stammered.

"Good!" Ichigo smiled at him. "I hoped so. Maybe sometime we could hang out with some of the Mews, or your alien warriors – you know, a big group of friends going on an outing together. That sounds fun, right?"

"Uh huh," Kisshu said unhappily. Ichigo stopped the water.

"I have to go get Takata's plate. He's probably done by now." She gave him another sweet smile and disappeared from the kitchen.

Kisshu was rooted to the spot. Friends? _Friends? _He couldn't believe how awful it sounded. He didn't want to be her friend! He wanted to be her boyfriend, her protector, her lover, not just her _friend_! Couldn't she see how much he wanted her? How badly he needed her? He couldn't have hid his affections even if he'd wanted to.

Grinding his teeth with frustration and bitterness, he teleported away, unwilling to look her in the face and hear that hated word again.

--

"Finally. Done for the day." Ichigo sighed, stretching her arms over her head. "Now I can go home and relax…maybe take a bath. That sounds nice," she said happily. "I wonder what Pie-san thought of Lettuce's poem!"

Humming to herself, she cut through the park, noticing how nice the air felt on her skin. It was a temperate evening – one of the last, because fall was ending soon. It would be winter next month. She'd have to take out her white coat from the back of the closet.

"Hmm…but the red one's cute too," she mused, thinking out loud. "I guess I could just alternate wearing them on different days-"

THWACK!

"Aaahh!" With a skull-splitting crack, Ichigo felt something collide with the back of her head, sending her flying onto the pavement. Wincing, she tried to push herself up and look behind her. Both her knees were scraped and her lip was bleeding. "Ouch…" she moaned, looking around. "What was that?"

"So you're Ichigo. Leader of the Tokyo Mew Mews."

Ichigo finally saw him step out from behind a tree. She gasped. He didn't look like any alien she'd ever seen before. In fact, she'd never seen anything like him before.

He was tall – taller than Pie or Keiichiro, even – with long, flowing white hair and scales crusted over his face, arms, and hands. He wore a long black cloak with a hood, and tied with a blue sash. His eyes were a frightening, fiery red, and they were glaring at Ichigo as if she were a speck of dirt on the ground. As if she were less than nothing. No doubt about it –her second encounter with a strange alien was definitely more terrifying then her first, with Kisshu.

Even worse, she had yet to try transforming back into Mew Ichigo. Ryou said that they all still had the DNA in them, but Ichigo had been afraid to. Now, when she was faced with a battle, she was literally shaking with fear. She was both embarrassed and ashamed by how scared she'd become.

Her hands trembling, she fumbled for her pendant. The alien narrowed his eyes at her. He said, "Are you sure it's her, Zohn?"

"Positive, Mahng." To Ichigo's dismay, another alien stepped out from behind a second tree. He was slightly more wiry than the first, but his swarthy face was even creepier. "You're right though – she looks like she'll go down easily."

Mahng tossed a rock in the air and caught it. Ichigo realized that was what she'd been hit in the head with. Mahng glanced at Zohn. "Should we take her now?"

Zohn grinned. "Now Mahng, you know we always play with our enemies first before we dismember them. She's still got a lot of blood to spill. Come, Ichigo of Earth, show us some more blood!" he screeched, hurling another stone at her. Ichigo leaped out of the way just in time, but she wasn't quick enough to avoid the next one, thrown by Mahng. It cut into her shoulder, and she cried out with pain.

"Okay," she said tightly. "You can do it, Ichigo. MEW ICHIGO, METAMORPHISIS!" she cried, kissing her pendant.

A glow illuminated her. It grew stronger. But as Ichigo felt the familiar power being to course through her, she was suddenly seized by terror, and she shut her eyes tight and froze up. Immediately, the power ebbed away, and she was shocked to find that she was unchanged. Before she could even more, another larger stone hit her in the stomach, and she crumpled over.

"This is almost too easy," Zohn said, his next throw gashing her head. Ichigo struggled to get back up. She was confused.

"Why…didn't it work?" she whispered. She felt completely vulnerable. She couldn't change, and now, she was going to be stoned to death by the enemy aliens. Not even her Mew speed and agility was working properly. Zohn started laughing, and she looked over. She gasped.

Mahng was holding a rock the size of her fist. If it hit her in the wrong place, she was sure it would break her bones. She sprang up from the ground, but Mahng had already thrown the stone.

She was running…running…_not fast enough_…the stone was coming closer…

"ICHIGO!"


	11. Chapter 11: Just Like I Remember

hurray! no more cliffhanger! hope you enjoy this chap.

Tokyo Mew Mew: I don't own it - however, I do own the evil reptilian aliens and the schemeing, conniving Parfait.

Chapter Eleven: Just Like I Remember

"ICHIGO!" Materializing out of nowhere, someone flew out of the sky and swept Ichigo off her feet and into the air, safely away from the fist-sized stone. Ichigo looked up.

Her heart skipped a beat. Kisshu.

"Kisshu!" she exclaimed. He grinned down at her.

"Gotcha, koneko-chan. Hold on tight."

Ichigo fastened her arms around his neck and turned her head into his chest. She felt the air wavering before she saw it. Gasping, she realized that they were going to teleport. She'd felt it once before, but she hadn't remembered what the sensation felt like.

Strangely, it wasn't that uncomfortable – she felt lighter for a moment, as if gravity had suddenly disappeared. But only for a moment; just as suddenly, she felt herself grow heavier, until she was normal again, and they had appeared beside Ichigo's house, right above her open window.

"All right, in you go," Kisshu said, depositing her carefully into her bedroom. "Stay there at least until tomorrow afternoon. Don't go to school. I don't know how long it'll take for me to scare them away."

As soon as her feet had hit the ground, Ichigo turned around and leaned her upper body out of the window, toward Kisshu. Heart pounding, she felt both ashamed that she hadn't been able to turn into Mew Ichigo and fight, and incredibly grateful that Kisshu had saved her from being stoned to death.

"Kisshu-"

To her surprise, Kisshu put a finger to her lips, shushing her. He winked. "I'll be fine, mai daaringu. See you later." Ichigo had no choice but to watch him float up, and then teleport away.

Slowly Ichigo's fingers went up to touch her mouth. She could barely move. She felt like she was having some warped version of déjà vu.

This was how it had been when the Blue Knight had saved her. And yet it had been different then – for one, she'd at least been able to defend herself as a Mew. This time, she would have been killed – as in, _dead _– if Kisshu hadn't come in time. He had actually saved her _life_.

She couldn't help it – she started to cry. Not only was she grateful, she was also worried about him. She had seen him fight the Blue Knight two years ago a number of times, and he was both fast and cunning. But those two enemy aliens had looked monstrous. Most of all, she wished that she could help him. She wished that she could make sure he was safe too.

"Kisshu." She said it so softly, she could barely hear it. "Please, please be all right."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the park, Kisshu materialized a few feet away from Mahng and Zohn. "So you finally showed up? Took you long enough!" he said. There was a wicked grin on his face, cunning and incredibly dangerous.

There was no question about it. Those two were going down. Not only had they wounded Ichigo, they'd kept attacking when they saw she couldn't transform and was helpless.

Mahng said in a deep voice, "You killed our kinsmen. You should be grateful for these last few breaths you have."

Kisshu's fangs flashed, and with a golden glow, he summoned his weapons. "Well, you certainly are confident," he mused, gripping his twin swords tight. "Afraid it won't help much in this situation."

Zohn's face twisted into an ugly scowl. "You won't be smirking when you're dead and we go after the Mew. We'll gut her open and use her blood on our latest machine!"

Kisshu felt a snarl rise in his throat and his blood seared with a fire of adrenaline. "Really?"

With the speed of a hawk, he shot forward through the air, raising his Dragon Swords in attack, and shouted;

"You'll regret ever seeing her face! Ichigo is MINE, and I'll die _again_ if it means protecting her!"

---------------------------------------------------------------------

"What? You mean they attacked you right there in the park?"

"Hai." It was late the next morning, and Ichigo was sitting cross-legged on her bed, having a three-way conversation with Lettuce and Mint, who were both on their breaks at school. "And then Kisshu came in and saved me, just like the Blue Knight used to, except this time I wasn't able to transform into Mew Ichigo."

"You couldn't transform?" Mint asked. "Why not?"

Ichigo hung her head. "I don't know. I think I just got too scared."

"Ichigo, they were going to kill you!" Mint exclaimed.

"I know," Ichigo said sadly. "If Kisshu hadn't come in time…"

"So he saved you? That's so heroic!" Lettuce commented.

"He wouldn't have had to if I'd been able to transform," Ichigo reminded her. "But you're right – he saved me. I'm really worried about him. Have you heard anything from Keiichiro-san and Shirogane-san?"

"No, sorry, I haven't," Lettuce said.

"Me neither," Mint added.

Ichigo glanced at her watch. "It's noon now. I think I'll head over to the Café now and see what's going on."

"Be careful," Mint warned. "There's probably more than two of those guys around."

"I will." Ichigo hung up the phone. Then, she hurried downstairs to the kitchen. Both her parents were out – she hadn't had much trouble convincing them she was too sick to go to school. She scribbled a note saying she was feeling better and that a work emergency had come up, and then, after sticking it to the counter, hurriedly pulled on her jacket and left the house. Wishing she could teleport, she headed as fast as she could toward the park.

-----------------------------------------------

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief once she stepped onto the walk leading up to Café Mew Mew. She'd gotten though the park without incident, avoiding the place she'd been through the day before. She glanced up at the windows, but she couldn't see Kisshu or anyone else there. Growing more worried, she opened the door and went inside.

She was surprised to find everyone currently in the Cafe – meaning, Pie, Tart, Crumb, Scone, Soda, Parfait and Ryou and Keiichrio – sitting in the heart-shaped chairs, which had been gathered in a haphazard circle so they faced each other. There were a few voices talking at once, but when Ryou caught sight of her, everyone else fell silent.

Ichigo's eyes scanned over the group multiple times. "Um…konichiwa," she said, "Where's….where's Kisshu?"

To Ichigo's dismay, it was Parfait who answered. "He's missing."

Ichigo's eyes widened. "Missing?"

Parfait stood up abruptly, her eyes flashing, "Missing! As in gone, we don't know where, or how to find him! If you hadn't been so weak-!"

"Enough." Pie stopped Parfait's tirade short, the look in his eyes leaving no question of who was in charge. Parfait fell silent, but retained her scowl. Pie turned to address Ichigo. "Last night after the Café closed, you were attacked by the enemy aliens, correct?"

Ichigo nodded. "Hai."

"Well, we think that after Kisshu took you to safety, he went after the enemy himself, without notifying any of us where he went. With the kind of technology the enemy has, it's nearly impossible to track them or anything within a five mile radius of them. Since Kisshu is obviously within that range, we can't track him either."

Ichigo was horrified. "You mean, it's been almost a whole day and you haven't heard from him?"

"Of course that's what we're saying, are you stupid?" Parfait spat. "He's probably in trouble and we have no way to get a hold of him. If he gets killed, it'll be your fault!"

"Parfait!"

"Yeah, knock it off!" Tart added after Pie. "It's been a long time since they've transformed into the Mews! It's not her fault!"

_But it is_, Ichigo thought miserably. _It's all my fault_.

Ryou saw Ichigo's expression and hurried over to her.

"Hey, listen," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. "It's going to be okay. He's not suicidal. If he knows that you're here waiting for him, it'll give him the strength to fight and come back."

"How do you know that?"

Ryou paused. He glanced over at Pie and Tart, as if requesting to reveal information. Pie gave a curt nod. Ryou turned back to Ichigo.

"There's a more specific reason why the enemy is targeting the humans and especially the Mews."

Ichigo looked up. "Huh? What is it?"

"The enemy was able to find out about you – specifically, you, Pudding, and Lettuce – by reading imprints from Pie, Tart, and Kisshu's blood. It's the kind of technology they use. And the reason those images appeared-" Ryou concluded, "is because Kisshu cares about you, and Tart about Pudding, and Pie about Lettuce, very much."

Ichigo stared.

"He – he cares about me? He's been thinking about me?" she whispered, so only Ryou could hear. Ryou also lowered his voice.

"Not just that. Kisshu loves you. His image came out the clearest. That's why they could find you first. He probably feels like he's the one who has put you in danger, not the other way around. That's why I know he'll come back – he'll want to see you again."

Ichigo was speechless. Something was flooding through her brain, her heart, her veins, coursing into her and filling her with warmth and amazement.

_He loves me. Kisshu loves me._

Even though she was a human, a failure as a Tokyo Mew Mew, and a coward who even ran away from Parfait's cruel words, he loved her, and he'd been thinking about her during the years he was gone. Ichigo was sure she'd never felt so elated and yet so traumatized at the same time.

Kisshu loved her, but he was still missing. Would he be able to come back? Would he come back to her?

Though eventually the group broke up, the other Mews arrived, and the Café opened for the afternoon, Ichigo was barely aware of her surroundings. She must've spilled three different dishes and forgotten a dozen drinks, but she didn't care. It was all just one long blur of worrying and hoping and praying that Kisshu was okay. Each hour that slid by with no news about him made her even more tense. Finally, the Café was closed for the day, and Ichigo could – after ushering the ever persistent Takata out with as much patience as she could muster without snapping – sit down at a table and concentrate solely on worrying.

The other three Mews came and sat with her. Tart teleported down from upstairs and joined them as well. All of them were very quiet – even Tart and Pudding didn't carry their voices above a whisper. Outside, the sky grew darker and darker, but Ichigo didn't budge.

After an hour of waiting, Mint said she had to go home, and left the Café looking uncharacteristically concerned for Ichigo. A half hour after that, Pudding and Lettuce left too, and fifteen minutes later, Tart drifted upstairs, promising he'd only be gone for a moment. Ichigo suspected that he was more likely to fall asleep.

Through all her friends leaving, Ichigo didn't move. A couple of times, she saw Keiichiro peering at her from behind the kitchen doors, but she didn't look up. Once Tart had gone upstairs, he came out of the kitchen with a cup of tea and a lit candle.

"Are you feeling all right?"

Ichigo merely nodded. Keiichiro gave her an encouraging smile and went back to the kitchen. Ichigo hardly noticed when he turned the lights off, and she was only left with the glow of the candle to illuminate the table.

Finally, after a long time of not moving, Ichigo checked the clock – it was almost midnight. She realized her parents were probably worried about her, but she didn't care. She couldn't even summon up the energy to try and explain to her parents what she was doing out so late. She'd just have to face them later.

"He is fighting their best."

Ichigo started, looking around. Pie had emerged out of the darkness, hovering just above the ground. His expression was deadly serious. Ichigo blinked at him. Pie went on to explain.

"Out of the enemy's entire army, these are their best warriors. If Kisshu manages to kill one of them, it will be a substantial victory."

"It doesn't matter to me if he kills them – I just want him to come back," Ichigo said. Pie raised an eyebrow.

"Killing them means saving some of your fellow humans. Isn't part of your job as a Mew to protect your people?"

Surprised, Ichigo remembered that that was true. She hadn't thought about that in a long time. She'd been too involved with thinking about Aoyama-kun and Kisshu and whatever else was bothering her. She'd forgotten what being a Mew was all about. What their purpose was.

She somehow managed a small smile. "Hai. I guess being out of action has made me lose track of what's important."

"Don't fall into a trap of sacrificing yourself entirely," Pie cautioned, his voice serious. "You are allowed to think about yourself and the ones you care about as well. But balance is required."

"Hai." The two of them were silent for a moment. Then, turning away, Pie said, "Let me know how it turns out."

"What, you mean Kisshu?"

"No, I'm going to look for Kisshu right now."

Ichigo was confused. "Well then, let you know how what turns out?"

Pie didn't answer, but merely evaporated into the air. Ichigo was surprised by his abrupt behavior, but she decided to let it go. Pie was enigmatic by nature; perhaps that was part of Lettuce's attraction to him. Ichigo settled back into her seat, crossed her arms, and continued to wait.

An hour later, her eyelids were beginning to feel remarkably heavy. The candle had burned low in its holder, and the undrunk tea had long since gone cold. Adjusting her posture, Ichigo continued to stare at the small, flickering flame, willing herself to stay awake. She wasn't going anywhere, including to sleep, until Kisshu came back safe.

_He loves me. _She intoned it in her head, again and again. Forget Parfait and whatever she said – Kisshu loved her, it was in his very blood. If he came back from this alive, Ichigo swore she would tell him exactly how she felt about him without trying to deny it anymore. She repeated the words to herself again.

_He loves me. He loves me. He loves me….he loves me…he loves…_

With a sudden, startling bang, the door was thrust open. A gust of wind swooped in and blew the candle out, plunging the room in darkness. A figure was in the doorway, leaning on the frame for support. His breathing was labored, as if he'd been hurt somewhere around his ribs.

Ichigo got to her feet quickly. Even just by listening to his breathing, she could tell that it was him.

"Kisshu?"

She heard a low chuckle. "Ko…koneko-chan," he answered, his voice hoarse. "Were you waiting up for me?" Before she could answer, his legs gave out and he slumped to the floor.

"KISSHU!" Ichigo sprang toward him, jumping on top of the tables and miraculously landing on her feet at the door. She crouched down next to him, and groped around for his arm so she could help him back up. Her fingers felt ripped material and blood.

She tried to control her panic. "You're hurt," she said.

Another low laugh. Ichigo vaguely saw an arm reach up out of the darkness. Then, very gently, Kisshu grazed his fingers over Ichigo's face, lips, cheeks, hair. When his arm dropped, Ichigo moved closer, finding his head and wrapping her arms around his shoulders.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said. "I'm so sorry. If I'd been able to turn-"

"Hai, it is your fault." Kisshu said. He reached for her again. "If you weren't such an adorable little koneko, I wouldn't have fallen for you." He coughed, the movement wracking his body. "Hai. All your fault, omae."

"Kisshu!" Ichigo said. She was struggling with indecision. Should she tell him now? Should she tell him that she loved him too?

Kisshu was struggling to stand up. He seemed mildly delirious. "Let me lean on you, Ichigo. One of them got my legs."

"Okay."

Straightening carefully, they managed to stand up, with Kisshu leaning heavily on Ichigo. Ichigo was holding the wrist of the arm he had around her shoulders, and her other arm was wrapped around his waist. She felt more blood and tattered cloth.

As they made their way slowly toward the stairs, Ichigo said, "Okay, scale of one to ten, how much does it hurt?"

Kisshu gave a short laugh. "Zero."

"None? It doesn't hurt at all?"

"Why should I waste my energy feeling pain when my little koneko-chan is finally holding me again?" With his dangling arm, he reached up for her face once more. His fingers found her lips in the darkness. "They're soft," he said. "Just like I remember."

Ichigo was torn between wanting to hug him or start crying. But before she could do either, a light switched on, lighting up the stairwell that they had been just about to climb up. In the bright light, Ichigo glanced over at Kisshu and gasped.

He looked much worse than what she'd thought. His shirt was ripped to shreds, he was bleeding from cuts everywhere, and one of his eyes was bruised and swollen. He saw Ichigo looking at him and laughed again.

"I don't feel anything, omae. Promise."

"Well, you're a lousy liar then," Ichigo muttered.

From the top of the stairs, Pie and Tart swooped down to Ichigo and Kisshu. Tart looked horrified; amazingly, Pie didn't seem surprised at all, though his cheeks were slightly red from just returning from outside.

"Kish!" Tart yelled. "Are you okay?"

"You fool," Pie said, his expression dark, "why didn't you try to contact us before you started fighting them?"

Kisshu grinned cheerfully. "I wanted all the fun for myself." He winked at Ichigo. "You can help me clean up, if you want. I'd rather have your company than these two."

Ichigo, predictably, turned bright red at what Kisshu was implying.

Pie rolled his eyes. "I suppose you're fine after all."

"Don't do that again, okay Kish?" Tart begged.

Ichigo carefully pulled away from Kisshu. "I'll go fix you something to eat. Soup okay?"

"What's that?"

Ichigo sighed. "Never mind. I'll come and help bandage you up _after _you've cleaned off." She walked away from them, making sure Kisshu wasn't going to fall over again. From behind her, she heard Kisshu mutter, "_Chikusho_."

In the kitchen, Ichigo flicked on the light switch, flooding the room with fluorescent light. She began to rummage through the fridge for some of Keiichiro's home made miso soup. She felt like she'd just finished sprinting. Her limbs were shaking slightly. But her worried had ceased. He was going to be all right. Kisshu had come home, and even though he'd been badly hurt, he was safe.

But she hadn't said that she loved him yet. Just as she'd been about to, she'd chickened out, and then Pie and Tart had showed up. She knew that she had to do it soon. It was clear now that he'd wanted to be more than friends this whole time, and she'd been too worried about Parfait to even see it clearly.

But now she knew. And she knew, even more certainly, that she loved him as well. She didn't want to be just his friend. She wanted to be his…girlfriend.

"Well," she remarked, "I guess the best way to start making up for being such a baka is to bring some of that new blueberry-cream pie along."

Smiling to herself, she loaded the food onto a tray and proceeded up the stairs.

* Author's Note: I know that there are some inconsistences with Japanese titles and words and stuff like that. Sorry for the inaccuracies, I will try and figure it all out.


	12. Chapter 12: So This Was Your Boyfriend?

Hey Everyone: Thanks for reading this far! I'll try to keep it going strong the whole way through but I might slow down because NaNoWriMo is starting so I will be busy with that too! Anyways...I don't own Tokyo Mew Mew, even though I wish I owned K because he is amazingly sexy (in the Japanese, French, and Italian versions - he sounds homosexual in the English version, unfortunetly). So anyways...on with the story!

Oh, one last note: I've decided to change the spelling of "Pai's" name to P-A-I because it looks a lot cooler and doesn't make me hungry when I'm writing. Although the usage of Pudding, Tart, and Parfait don't help much either...waaa, now I'm hungry, nya! :)

Chapter Twelve: So This Was Your Boyfriend?

Ichigo had barely made it to the top of the stairs when she almost ran into Parfait. "Oh! I'm sorry, I-" Ichigo stopped abruptly. Parfait's fists were clenched at her sides, and she looked positively livid.

She spoke in a hiss. "Have you seen him?" she spat. "Have you seen what he looks like? It's a wonder he's even coherent!"

Ichigo was speechless. She hadn't even thought about Parfait since arriving at the Café earlier that day. Now, having Parfait ambush her like this made her incredibly nervous; not only was Parfait blaming Ichigo for Kisshu being hurt, but she was also a lot stronger than Ichigo was as a normal girl. As a Mew, Ichigo thought maybe the odds would be a little more fair…but would she still be unable to transform?

Parfait floated an inch closer, her features seething with rage. She looked like she was going to explode. Then, slowly, she drew back her arm.

"Stay…away…from…HIM!" she shrieked, swiping at the tray and sending it crashing to the floor, spilling its contents everywhere. Then, before Ichigo could even think about moving, Parfait hurled herself at Ichigo and tackled her.

Ichigo was able to let out a scream before she felt herself teleporting. After a moment of confusion, she realized that it was Parfait who was doing it. She had her arms fused around Ichigo in an iron grip, and even though Ichigo struggled, she had no hope of getting out. After the curious, gravitational sensation went back to normal, Ichigo looked around.

She had never seen anything like this place. It was as if a torn section of a very old, yellowing stone structure was floating in the midsts of a green fog, with odd sections of pillars scattered in the air. Parfait landed on the floor, heaving Ichigo away from her so Ichigo crashed against a set of crumbling stone steps. She felt a sharp pain in her spine.

But she got back up quickly, gritting her teeth angrily. Maybe Parfait had taken her to some weird alternate universe, but she wasn't going to just cower on the ground this time. She wasn't going to just give up and not fight. She was a Tokyo Mew Mew, and even as a normal girl the DNA was a part of her. Bracing her feet, she prepared for Parfait's next attack.

Parfait glared at Ichigo, and then, to Ichigo's surprise, turned away. Ichigo was caught off guard. She watched as the beautiful alien walked over to the edge of the floor, where it dropped off sharply into the impenetrable fog. Parfait raised one hand, her fingers spread wide, and then suddenly clenched her fist.

It had been a summoning; a large, white ball of light rose up from the depths of the fog, passed up over the edge, and came to rest in the middle of the floor. The light flickered, and Ichigo was reminded of a television screen.

"Do you know what this is?"

Parfait waited for Ichigo to answer, scowling at her. Ichigo glared right back.

"No."

Parfait's mouth curled up into a small, ugly smile. "All the better." She turned her head toward the ball of light. "It's a recording device. Let's see what it has to show us about the Tokyo Mew Mews." Raising her hand again, she made a sweeping guesture as if wiping a board clean. Immedietly, an image appeared.

Ichigo gasped. It was herself in her Mew Ichigo form – short pink dress, cat ears, red gloves, and long curling tail. She had hardly remembered what she looked like, it had been so long. She looked weak…and tired. As if she was…

"That was the time I was sick," she whispered. Then she gasped. "That was the first time-"

Her hands flew to her mouth. In the image, she saw someone approaching her, bathed in a white light. Someone tall…with flowing blonde hair and a long blue coat…

"Aoyama-kun," she managed to squeak out. Parfait's mouth twitched.

"So this was your boyfriend?" she asked. She gave a sniff of disapproval. "Just another weak human, I see. And all that time, Kisshu was trying to save you. You were just too stupid and blinded by this boy to see it."

"Huh?" Ichigo stared. "What do you mean, Kisshu was trying to save me? He was trying to kill me! It was Aoyama-kun who was always saving me!"

Parfait sneered down at her. "Kisshu was ordered to destroy you, wasn't he? And how many times did he run away from a fight in order to spare you? How many times," she continued, her voice growing more bitter, "did he try and convince you to come with him so that your life would be spared?"

Ichigo's expression hardened. "I couldn't go with him," she said. "I wouldn't have just abandoned Aoyama-kun. Or my friends."

"Hmph. Well, I guess we'll just have to see how sticking with Aoyama-kun turned out for you…" Parfait turned back to the images onscreen. She gave another sweep of her arm and the picture changed.

Ichigo's heart tore at the sight of Masaya's face on the screen. Both of them were walking side by side, possibly during the afternoon once school was out. She could see his mouth moving but the globe emitted no sound. Her expression softened as she stared at him in the images. She'd forgotten how handsome and sweet he'd always been to her…those brown eyes…his hair…and the way he was looking at her…

She gulped, trying to hold back the lump in her throat. She could tell just by looking at herself that she was thinking about something else. What day had it been? What had been distracting her? Was it the time that she was concerned that Ryou had feelings for her? Or maybe Kisshu had said something to her durning their last fight? Or had this been before Masaya found out she was a Mew Mew, and she had been worrying that he would find out?

_Look at me_, Ichigo said, appalled. _I look like I don't care about what he's saying at all. I'm not even paying attention_.

Parfait remarked, "Hmm…that boring, eh?"

Ichigo rounded on her, clenching her fists at her sides. "Why are you showing me this?" she shouted. "Why did you bring me here?"

Parfait expression was deadly serious. "To make sure you understand that you don't deserve Kisshu." Ichigo stared at her. Parfait continued angrily, "To make sure you see that you were cruel to him, when all he wanted was to protect you. You always leapt back into that pathetic human's arms. Aoyama-kun," she sneered, "turned out to be the enemy that Kisshu was trying to save you from all along. And you kept running back to him anyway."

Parfait paused. "Furthermore," she continued, her voice rising in volume, "when your precious human turned into Deep Blue, you risked your entire disgusting home planet just because there was a possibility that your little boyfriend was still buried beneath him. But most of all-" her voice rose into a shriek, "KISSHU STOOD BETWEEN YOU AND DEEP BLUE, AND FOUGHT HIM TO PROTECT YOU, AND HE DIED!" With a violent sweep, she changed the image on the screen again.

Ichigo let out an involuntary whimper. It was the final battle. Her friends lay on the ground, crumpled and unconscious. Farther away, Pai was lying on his back in a pile of rubble, and Tart was slumped next to his ball weapon. Then, inside the ship…

Ichigo's tears fell thick and fast as she saw herself kneeling over Kisshu. He was reaching up for her, straining with all his might to lift his head up to kiss her lips…closer…closer…and there – Ichigo's heart gave a thrill of terror – was Deep Blue himself, staring down coldly at the two on the floor.

Kisshu's head fell back as his body jerked, and in moments, he was dead. Ichigo saw herself sobbing in the image, and her own tears fell even faster.

"No," she whispered, "No…please…"

"Please what?" Parfait demanded. "Stop the images? What, so you can go on thinking Kisshu deserves an ungrateful, weak human like you? Watch, now! This is your finest hour!"

Ichigo, her breath coming out in ragged gasps, didn't want to watch anymore, but found herself unable to look away. There was Aoyama-kun, dragging Deep Blue out of his body, telling Ichigo to destroy them both…Ichigo saw her own indecision written on her face.

_Don't do it,_ she begged herself inside her head. _Please, don't do it, don't kill Aoyama-kun…!_

She saw the bright beams of colored light shoot up from outside the ship. From the beams of light emerged the other four Mews. Together, they gave her their collaborative power. She was channeling the power of them all – and directing it at Aoyama-kun and Deep Blue.

"NO!" she screamed, shaking wildly as she stared at the screen. "Don't do it, please, don't kill him – NNNOOOO!" she shrieked as in the image, the blast exploded, destroying both spirits. "No, no, please!" she pleaded, her face hot and wet with her tears. "Aoyama-kun! AOYAMA-KUN!"

Parfait began to laugh. "And to think – there was a time when you weren't even _paying attention_ to this great love of yours…"

Ichigo's knees wobbled, and she sank to the yellowed stone floor, sobbing into her hands. Onscreen, Ichigo was bending over Masaya's still body, parting her lips just slightly and giving him a kiss…

The Mew Aqua was shimmering, falling as gentle as snow. Flowers were blossoming on the ground, and the images showed Pai and Tart reviving. In the ship, Kisshu sat up and looked around. The expression on his face when he saw Ichigo kissing Masaya made her sob even harder.

And then…as the last of the Mew Aqua faded away…the Ichigo onscreen pulled away, watching Masaya's face carefully. He didn't move. The Ichigo in the present rocked slightly back and forth, clutching her stomach as if she was about to be sick. This had been by far the worst moment in her life…when she'd realized that she had made a mistake, that she'd failed…

Through her stream of tears, she saw her mouth form his name again and again, and her face grow more and more desprate. She grabbed Masaya's body by the shoulders and shook him, by this time screaming – silently – for him to wake up. She saw Kisshu's feet walking around to Masaya's other side, where he knelt down and watched speechlessly as Ichigo tried again and again to rouse Masaya.

But it was no use. Both Ichigos were crying in earnest now – Ichigo could barely stand the pain of having to live through this awful moment again. She saw, once again, Kisshu's expression – the one she always saw in her dream, the one which had comforted her on those dark nights for two years. But just as she had then, the Ichigo in the past looked away. The Ichigo of the present saw a spasm of hurt cross Kisshu's face. She could almost feel the empathy radiating off of him, and how badly he wanted to help her, and take away some of her pain. She hadn't seen that before. The intensity of it was so powerful that the Ichigo of the present stumbled to her feet and hurried over to the edge of the floor, as far away from the screen as she could get.

"Pathetic as you are, the human boy was in love with you." Parfait was slowly walking toward Ichigo, using her hand to control the screen and make it proceed in front of her. On the screen, images of Masaya, Ichigo, Kisshu, and the other Mews flashed one after the other. Parfait's voice tightened. "And Kisshu was in love with you as well. So you continually denied the one _I _care about the most, while letting the one you supposedly loved _die_." Parfait's full lips turned up into a bitter smirk. "Kisshu must've had many foolish reasons for what he did, which he has never confided to me. However," she continued, her voice taking on a savage edge, "I've seen enough of how you treated him to know that he'd be better off with you DEAD!"

With a shout of rage, Parfait lunged forward, shoving Ichigo off the edge of the floor. Screaming, Ichigo plummeted into the green mist. She quickly vanishing from sight, though her shriek echoed eerily in the silence. Parfait stared down after her; her face had become bitter again.

She sighed. "But I won't kill you." She raised her hand, and swept away the screen, which disappeared instantly. "Not yet, anyway." With a bitter expression, Parfait snapped her fingers together, summoning up her powers of teleportation. Somewhere very far below, in the mist, the air wavered slightly. Then the disturbance disappeared, and Parfait knew that it had worked.

Ichigo had been sent back.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo materialized in the middle of the street, falling from the air onto the pavement and scraping her chin and hands. As she landed, she noticed how wet it felt, and then registered that it was raining – hard.

A horn blared at her, headlights flashed, and a car swerved around her just as she sprang to her feet and catapaulted herself out of the way. Gasping, and dripping with rainwater the car had splashing onto her, Ichigo tripped over the curb as she leapt up onto the sidewalk and began to run.

She was heading toward the direction of home. It was dark, and there was virtually no one outside because of how hard it was raining. Wrapping her arms around her body, Ichigo felt a stark contrast between the burning of the tears on her face and the freezing rain everywhere else. Gasping for breath, she ran as fast as she could all the way out of the main town and into her neighborhood, until finally she made it down her street and up to her house. She could see that the light was still on in the kitchen.

Panting, she stopped and bent over, trying to breathe and stop crying at the same time. Knowing she must look a mess, she hoped that her parents would just let her go upstairs to presumably shower. Sucking in a shaky breath, Ichigo walked unsteadily up the steps to her house and opened the door.

As soon as she stepped inside, her Mom and Dad looked up from where they were sitting on the couch in the living room. Both of them looked worried.

"Ichigo!"

"Are you all right, Ichigo?" her Mom asked, getting up off the couch.

"Where have you been, it's past one o'clock!" her Dad demanded. Ichigo sniffed.

"Can I please just go up to my room? I'll explain everything to you tomorrow."

Her Dad began to protest. "Just what-?"

But her Mom stopped him. She could tell that something was dreadfully wrong with Ichigo – she didn't think she'd ever seen her daughter so miserable-looking – and because of that, suspected that now wasn't the time for her husband's questioning. Being a teenager was full of stresses. She probably needed time to work things out alone first.

Her Mom nodded. "Sure, honey. We'll talk in the morning. Try to get some rest." She took her husband by the arm and said, "Come on, I'll make us some tea."

"But-!"

She gave him a look, and he stopped, settling to making a nondescript noise of discontent. Ichigo slowly walked past them, headed for the stairs.

"Thanks, Mom. Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Ichigo." Ichigo didn't look at either of them as she made her way up to her room. Her feet were dragging, and her muscles felt limp for exhaustion. Once inside, she closed the door behind her, and collapsed onto the floor without even turning on the light or removing her shoes.

Tears leaked slowly out of Ichigo's blank, vacant eyes. She felt nothing but pain. Nothing but sorrow. Seeing Aoyama die again, right before her eyes, had been worse than any of her nightmares, because it hadn't been a dream. She couldn't just wake up from it. The images were clearer, the memory stronger.

And then there was Kisshu. What Parfait had said had left Ichigo cold. Though they had fought many times, Kisshu had always retreated, always backed away, instead of finishing her off. She'd thought back then that she'd actually intimidated him, that she'd scared him away every time because of her amazing Mew powers. Now, she knew that more than her own strength, it had been Kisshu's weakness for her that had kept her safe.

Aoyama-kun. Kisshu. Aoyama-kun. Kisshu. She had hurt one, and killed the other. And then there had been that one image – Ichigo squeezed her eyes shut tight – of an ordinary day where Ichigo had been thinking about something else the whole time Aoyama-kun was talking to her. Why hadn't she been paying attention? Why hadn't she enjoyed every minute of his company while he was still alive?

She choked out a whisper. "I'm sorry…I'm so sorry.. Aoyama-kun." She buried her face into the carpet. "And Kisshu…oh, _Kisshu…_" Her mouth opened in a silent sob, and she curled her body up into the tightest ball she could manage. "I promise I'll stay away. I-I'll stay away," she whimpered. She dug her fingernails into her thighs like claws, biting at her skin. She could still remember seeing Kisshu earlier that night, bruised, bleeding, but smiling anyway…finding the energy to call her his koneko-chan…because once again, he'd almost died trying to protect her. It was too much.

"I'm sorry…" Ichigo's voice was muffled and low. "I'm sorry, Kisshu. I swear, if it means you'll stop caring about me, I won't bother you again for as long as I live." Doing her best to quiet her sobs, she cried until her exhausted body gave out.


	13. Chapter 13: A Way to Answer

Hey everyone! Thanks for reading this story, I appreciate it so much! So just a thing that I've been noticing about this story; Ichigo cries. A LOT. I'm totally aware that in the series she's really not the crying type - she's a lot gutsier - but I figured that she has a ton of trauma and crap going on and she's a hormonal teenager so if she cries a lot in this situation then it's legit.

Anyways, now that I've gotten that out of the way, time to get back to the story. And I don't know TMM. Phooey. If I knew Japanese I would go make my own anime. And if I could draw. And if I had the money to move to Japan, which I would like to anyway, because they eat much better over there than here and I love those pastry things with the bean paste in them and...well, anyways...on with the saga!

BTW, this story was NOT supposed to be this long, but oh well, here it is anyway...

Chapter Thirteen: A Way to Answer

It took Kisshu a few moments to wake up – when he did, he winced at the stark, white sunlight that was pouring through the open curtains. He guessed it had to be sometime in the late morning - it was quiet downstairs. Obviously, the Café hadn't opened yet. The girls were still at school.

Kisshu tried to sit up, but found that his ribs still hurt too much to move. He gritted his teeth in frustration. He didn't like feeling weak if he could help it. Being confined to a bed was especially humiliating. Although, if Ichigo had been there, he would have happily lay still while she nursed him back to health.

Speaking of which…Kisshu frowned. He could remember her saying last night that she was going to bring him something to eat. And yet, he didn't recall seeing her again for the rest of the night. After he'd been hauled up the stairs by Pai and Tart and thrust into the shower, he'd stood in the water so long Tart asked if he'd drowned. Kisshu had growled a reply, and took even longer getting out of the shower and dressing into clean clothes, because he could hardly move on his own. After he was decent, Tart and Pai helped him into bed, where he promptly fell asleep. He hadn't woken up once. Maybe she had come up and seen that he was asleep.

_Maybe she was sitting beside me,_ he thought to himself, fantasizing the attractive senario. _And she thought about kissing me while I was asleep because then I might not feel it. That seems like one of the adorable little things she'd do…_

In that case, Kisshu wished he was well enough to get out of bed, find Ichigo, and kiss her for real. She'd seemed extremely worried when he finally got back to Café Mew Mew – she'd even been waiting for him, by herself, for who knew how long. The thought made Kisshu want her even more.

He grinned to himself. "Ahh…maybe you'll be mine after all…Ichigo," he said cheerfully. As he imagined Ichigo confessing her undying love to him, he was interrupted by Pai.

"Yo!" Kisshu said. He attempted to lift his hand, but then, wincing, decided to forgo the courtesy. "What's up?"

Pai surveyed him impassively. "Are you feeling better?"

"Hai. Say, where's Ichigo? Did she come up here last night?"

Pai's face remained expressionless as he said, "No."

For a moment, Kisshu was disappointed. "Ah." Then, he frowned. "How come?"

Pai said, "We're not sure."

Kisshu's body shot bolt-upright, resulting in a loud groan and a lot of cursing. "Don't move," Pai warned him.

"Where's Ichigo?" Kisshu demanded.

Pai said, "At home. Sleeping, I believe."

"Sleeping?" Kisshu glanced at the clock, quickly converting the time in his head. "Shouldn't she be…in school? Or wait, is she sick?"

"I didn't ask. I sent Tart to investigate, and he reported back that he had seen her asleep on the floor. In her bedroom."

"The floor?"

"Hai."

With a waver of air, Tart materialized into the room next to Pai. "Kish! You're okay!" he said.

Kisshu wasn't pleased. "Tart, did you see Ichigo today?"

Tart nodded. "Yeah, she was sleeping in her room."

"Do you know when she left the Café and went home?"

Tart shook his head. "Uh-uh. While you were in the shower, we heard a crash, but by the time we got there, all we saw was that there was a whole bunch of food spilled everywhere at the top of the stairs."

Tart glanced over at Pai and saw the older alien staring daggers at him. "Hey," Tart said, backing away, "what's the matter with you?"

Pai said in a tight voice, "I told you not to tell him that."

"Oh." Tart at least had the sense to look ashamed.

Meanwhile, Kisshu's teeth were clenched. He just knew something had happened. Something had gone wrong with his koneko-chan, and he was too weak to even teleport to her house.

Kisshu asked, "Did she look okay? Was she hurt?"

Tart glanced over at Pai as if he were afraid he'd get smacked if he talked. Pai rolled his eyes, and Tart said to Kisshu, "Not really. Just kinda muddy."

Kisshu stared. "Muddy?" That was definetly strange. Wouldn't Ichigo have wanted to get out of those clothes when she got home? Had she been so tired, or hurt, or weak, that she couldn't even shower?

He started to struggle into an upright position again. "I'm going to go see her."

Pai said flatly, "You can't teleport yet. You're not strong enough."

Kisshu suspected he was right, but he didn't want to admit it. Shutting his eyes and trying his best to ignore the pain, he concentrated on the place he wanted to go; Ichigo's house. It was taking all his strength just to move into zero gravity. He let out a low growl as he felt his body beginning to protest in earnest.

Tart's voice had a definite edge of panic. "Kish, stop it, you'll rip your body if you try too hard!"

Kisshu knew it was true, but he didn't care. He clenched at the bed sheets with his hands, and summoned up all the strength he possessed – which at the moment, was a pitiable amount. He felt his body just beginning to lighten…he could see his destination very faintly…it was so much harder than normal…he pushed even more...

"KISSHU!"

"Arrgh!" His concentration snapped as the skin on his upper arm ripped. A small gash, like a tear in a peice of paper, had appeared, and as the pain of it assaulted him, he felt the destination slip away, until his full weight returned to him. He clapped his other hand over the cut and grimaced in pain and anger.

"Damn it," he growled. He hated this – feeling weak, worrying about Ichigo, wondering what had mysteriously happened to her last night, the fresh wound in his arm. It was particularly painful for teleporters such as his race to tear their flesh during an unsuccessful transition.

"I told you," Pai said tonelessly.

"Shut up," Kisshu snarled. He felt like punching something, but felt that his knuckles would probably break if he tried.

Tart look almost frightened by Kissh's mood. "Uh, I'm out of here," he mumbled, moving to open the door and walk out as opposed to teleporting right in front of Kisshu. He closed the door behind him and softly padded away. Kisshu flung himself back against the pillow, not even caring how much it hurt.

Pai watched him quietly. Kisshu glared at him.

"What?"

Pai suddenly asked, "Do you want me to pass along a message?"

"Neh?"

"I said," Pai repeated, looking cross, "do you want me to pass along a message from to Ichigo?"

Kisshu was surprised. "Really?"

Pai looked at him as if he were acting mentally retarded.

"Okay, okay!" Kisshu said, annoyed. "Just…just find out what happened to her last night. And tell her I'll come see her soon."

Pai made a derisive noise in his throat. Kisshu scowled.

"I _will_, you lousy baka," he said.

Pai chose not to grace him with an answer. Without one change of his expression, Pai teleported out of the room, leaving Kisshu fuming by himself.

Recklessly, Kisshu punched at the mattress, and immedietly regretted it for the throbbing in his hand. Cursing again, he lay back down in the bed and turned his mind to once again thinking – and worrying - about Ichigo.

-------------------------

Ichigo woke to find that her eyes were puffy and sore, and her throat actually hurt from all the crying she'd done the night before. For a moment, she remained disoriented, unsure about what had forced her awake. Then, she heard the sound again.

A tapping on her window. Ichigo looked up.

She almost thought she was going to have a heart attack when she saw the alien floating outside the glass. At fist glance, she'd thought it was Kisshu. But then she realized that it was Pai – a strange occurance in itself, and she wasn't exactly happy to see him.

She knew though, that it would be rude to make him go away. So, getting up from the floor stiffly, she walked over to the window and slid it open. "Ohayo, Pai-san," she said, stepping aside to let him through.

He managed to compact his tall frame enough to squeeze through the opening, and step gracefully into the room. "Ohayo."

Ichigo looked down at the floor, uncomfortably aware that she was still wearing the same dirty clothes she'd had on the night before – even her shoes, which were crusted over with mud. She hadn't woken up once since she'd fallen asleep the night before. She suspected her parents had taken her to be sick again, and had left her alone to sleep it off.

Pai stood in front of her, observing her seriously. She asked, trying not to sound too nervous, "So, um, what are you doing here, Pai-san?"

He said in a very calm manner, "I'm here because Kisshu cannot teleport here on his own to speak to you himself."

Just hearing his name made Ichigo want to go crawl under her bed and curl back up in a ball. It was actually better that Kisshu couldn't come and see her – she wasn't ready to explain to him, face to face, that she was going to stay as far away from him as she could manage from now on. Knowing Kisshu, he certainly wouldn't understand, or even accept it for that matter. And she would starve to death under the bed before admitting to him what Parfait had done. That had been more painful than she could bear, and explaining it to him would just reopen the wound. It would only remind her of the terrible mistakes she'd already made, and that she would continue to make if she tried to be close to Kisshu in any way.

Pai took note of her expression, but continued as if he hadn't seen anything. "At the moment he is not strong enough to leave the Café. However, he asked that I inquire as to why you left the Café last night and why, when Tart saw you earlier today, you were sleeping on the floor in the clothes you are wearing now."

Ichigo was horrified – Tart had seen her asleep on the floor, and gone and reported it to Kisshu? Now Kisshu would know something was wrong, and Kisshu was extremely persistent. Ichigo knew that first-hand…all those times, when they'd been fighting, he'd wanted her to be his…and he'd never given up, even after she'd rejected him time and time again…

Ichigo tried to focus her thoughts again; Pai was waiting for an explanation. "Um, well," Ichigo said, "I left because I…well, I tripped on the stairs and spilled the food everywhere that I was going to bring him, including all over my clothes. I hadn't brought any extra with me-" she added, improvising on the spot, "so thought I'd go home really quick to change, and as it turned out, on the way home I slipped in a puddle of mud and got my clothes even dirtier-"

"Ichigo-san."

"Huh?" Ichigo stopped short. It was clear by Pai's expression that he didn't believe a word she was saying.

He continued seriously, "If you do not wish to tell me, I will respect your request."

Ichigo lowered her head a little, ashamed that she couldn't tell him, and yet knowing it was better this way. She didn't want there to be any way for this to get back to Kisshu. "Arigouto, Pai-san."

Pai inclined his head. "Well," he said, "If that is the case, then I will-" He stopped.

There had been a knock on the door. "Ichigo?" a voice called from the other side. "Are you awake?"

Ichigo, breathing a sigh of relief, recognized the voice. "Hai. It's all right, come in."

Lettuce pushed open the door, starting when she saw Pai. "P-Pai-san!" she said, her steps faltering.

Pai's face remained quite blank. "Lettuce-san."

Lettuce quickly shut the door behind her, looking flustered. Hurrying toward Ichigo, Lettuce's eyes were filled with concern.

"Ichigo! What's the matter? Why are your clothes covered in mud?"

Ichigo didn't know what to say. She didn't want to tell Lettuce what had happened either. She couldn't. She wanted to keep the whole, awful night a secret, and take it with her to the grave.

When Ichigo didn't answer, Pai spoke up for her. "She does not want to explain."

Lettuce looked at Ichigo in surprise. "Ichigo?"

Ichigo avoided Lettuce's eyes. "It's nothing. I'm just a bit sick, I think."

"Oh…" Lettuce chanced a quick glance at Pai. "Well, if you say so…would you like me to go down and start some tea? I think I can find where your Mother keeps it."

"That's okay. I think I'll just take a shower and go back to sleep." Ichigo wished that both of them would leave. It was hard enough being awake and hearing Parfait's voice in her head over and over again, let alone not breaking down and divulging her secret to Lettuce and Pai.

After a moment, Pai said, "Very well then. I shall go." But before he turned away, Ichigo saw him look Lettuce straight in the eye. He held his gaze for a usually long moment. Lettuce stared right back, seemingly rooted to the spot. Ichigo noticed something particularly intense in Pai's face; it was as if he was trying to communicate something to her without saying anything. Glancing at Lettuce, Ichigo almost suspected she was trying to accomplish the same thing. Then, before Ichigo could study the two of them again, Pai broke off the connection and turned away, opting to teleport away instead of try and squeeze out the window again.

Lettuce's cheeks were slightly flushed. Ichigo felt compelled to ask, "What was that all about?"

Averting her eyes to the ground, Lettuce said, "Well…I think he was…asking me…something."

Ichigo saw, to her amazement, a very small, happy smile appear on Lettuce's face. Now a little curious, Ichigo said, "So wait, did something happen between you two?"

Lettuce didn't immediately answer. Instead, she asked, "Do you remember the poem you said you'd give to him for me?"

"Hai, and I did," Ichigo said. Lettuce smiled at her.

"I really appreciated it very much. I didn't expect anything to happen – in fact, I was quite ashamed of it, and I half-hoped that you'd lose the poem or it would catch on fire before Pai-san read it. But yesterday evening…after work…" Lettuce clasped her hands in front of her, as if trying not to appear to excited, even though clearly she was, "I found a folded-up Paice of paper on my porch. It was folded exactly the same way, and for a second I thought it was my poem and it had been returned to me, but then I saw that the paper was a little different than what I'd used…and so I opened it," Lettuce continued, her eyes shining, "and it was the most beautiful poem I've ever read in my entire life! By Pai-san! His calligraphy was so elegant, I know it must've taken a lot of time to write it all out, and the things he said were so…so…"

"Lettuce!" Despite herself, Ichigo felt her spirits lift slightly in light of her friend. "That is so kawaii! Was it romantic?"

"Hai!" Lettuce exaulted. "It was pure feeling, and language, and written so intelligently and thoughtfully and carefully…I know he must've individually chosen every word…"

Ichigo leaned over and gave Lettuce a warm hug. "That is wonderful, Lettuce. I am so happy for you."

Lettuce smiled, as if everything were lit up inside her. "I've already started thinking of a way to answer," she mused happily. But then she suddenly put a hand to her mouth and said, "Oh, Ichigo, I'm so sorry! Here I am going on and on about poems, and you're still standing here when you're not feeling well-"

"It's fine, Lettuce." Truthfully, Ichigo felt the pain and depression resurfacing again at the idea of romance, and thought that the sooner she cleaned off and went back to bed, the sooner she could shut off Parfait's voice in her head. Hopefully she would be lucky enough to have another deep, dreamless sleep.

Lettuce began walking back toward the door. "I'll go so you can get some rest. Are you sure you don't need anything?"

Ichigo shook her head. "No, but arigouto, Lettuce. And I'm glad you told me about Pai-san."

Lettuce looked happy to hear it. "I'm glad you're home and safe. By the way, is Kisshu all right? Tart stopped Pudding and I in the park and let us know he was at the Café in bed, but I didn't hear how he was. Do you know?"

Ichigo tried not to let her expression change – or rather, she tried to pretend she was feeling something entirely different than what she was feeling inside. She said, "He was…hurt pretty bad. Pai-san says he can't teleport for a while."

"Ohhh…" Lettuce made a noise of sympathy. "Maybe you could bring him some flowers or a fruit basket or something. Just to show you're thinking about him."

Ichigo gave a tight smile. "Yeah. Maybe I'll do that."

Returning the smile, Lettuce opened the door and stepped out. "Bye, Ichigo. I hope you feel better soon."

"Bye, Lettuce."

Once the door had closed, Ichigo took a deep, shuddering breath, wanting to collapse on the floor again. However, this time she trailed over to the door leading to the bathroom and locked herself in. She stripped off her muddy clothes, turned the water up so that it was just on the edge of scalding, and stepped inside.

Standing under the hot jets of water, Ichigo slowly let the grime wash off her body, hardly bothering to use her energy to move her arms. The water burned uncomfortably, but she wanted it so. A girl who treated Kisshu the way she had didn't deserve comfortable showers.

After she was finished, she struggled to dry off and put on her pj's. Her body was shaking from lack of food or water, but all she wanted to do was go back to sleep. She walked back into her room, and collapsed on top of her neatly-made bed. Her wet hair dampening the blankets, she let her limbs sink into the warm comforter, and gradually, miserably, drifted off to sleep.

It was not an escape. A few minutes into the dreams, and she was clenching at the blankets and crying in her sleep. The screen played over in her head again and again; Parfait's voice screeched, and the faces of Masaya, Blue Knight, and Kisshu flashed in front of her, with images of them hurt, wounded, and eventually dead…

She did not know it, but an enemy was watching.


	14. Chapter 14: You Should Listen to Pudding

**Hello Everyone! Thanks for sticking around to Chapter Fourteen! Hope everyone is enjoying the story so far. So I don't remember everyone's names personally but I want to thank everyone who has read and sends me reviews, because it encourages me to keep going! So thank you so much and I will try to make this story the best I can! My sincerest wish is that I create a good story about love, while also portraying the characters accurately. I know some things the characters say and do don't really match up to what they might do in the anime, but I'm trying to get as close as I can while also adding in my own ideas about how they've changed and matured over two years time...so I hope that I'm at least kind of accomplishing that!**

**Anyways, that's all the speeches for now...here's the next chapter in Kisshu and Ichigo's saga of LOVE!**

Chapter Fourteen: You Should Listen to Pudding

_fear: a painful emotion or passion excited by the expectation of evil, or the apprehension of impending danger._

_- definition, Webster Dictionary_

"_What did you say_?" Ryou demanded. "What do you mean, Ichigo is quitting the Mews?"

Mint, Lettuce, and Pudding stood before Ryou, each one of them looking at the ground. None of them had been looking forward to telling Ryou the news, but they had decided that they needed to do it together – the only one missing was Zakuro, who was still away shooting her movie.

And, of course, Ichigo was missing. In fact, according to the girls, Ichigo wasn't planning coming back.

Ryou pushed his thick mop of blonde hair back angrily. Keiichiro stood next to him, his mouth slightly open in shock. Ryou said, "What happened to her? What did she say?"

Mint decided it was her turn to speak up – Lettuce had been the one to break the news. "She says that she can't transform anymore."

Ryou scoffed. "That's ridiculous," he said shortly. "The DNA is in all of your permanently."

"Just because none of you have fought for a long time doesn't mean that it's gone," Keiichiro added. "We should be glad that you haven't had to fight in a while, actually. Did Ichigo try to transform recently?"

"Hai," Pudding said. "In the park, when she met the enemy aliens."

"She couldn't do it," Lettuce added.

"She didn't feel the power anymore," Mint put in.

Ryou shook his head. "That doesn't make sense. Why would it just leave all of the sudden? And why-" he added angrily, "does not being able to transform give her an excuse to quit being a Mew?"

Mint looked surprised. "Well, it kind of defeats the purpose, doesn't it?" she asked. "You can't protect the Earth if you can't transform."

"That's where you're mistaken, Mint," Keiichiro said. "Ichigo could still do a lot of good for the Tokyo Mew Mews even if she can't transform. I certainly don't have any DNA from any Red Data Animal, and I'm here."

"Yes, but you're a scientist," Mint argued. "You and Ryou are the brains behind this whole project. Ichigo isn't stupid, but she's not a total genius like you guys either."

"It doesn't matter what she can or can't do," Ryou said. "She still has the DNA in her, meaning she can still transform. If anything is wrong, it's that she's scared and it's her fear that's keeping her from changing into Mew Ichigo."

The girls were confused. "But…why would Ichigo be scared?" Pudding asked.

"I'm afraid I don't quite understand," Lettuce said. "Ichigo is rarely afraid of anything."

"As far as I know, I'm the only one who's ever wanted to stop being a Mew because I was afraid," Mint said, somehow managing to make herself sound important despite the fact that she was admitting a past mistake.

Ryou didn't reply for a moment; his scowl was actually rather frightening. Finally, he said in a tight voice, "We have to convince her to come back. She's the leader of the Mews, and with all these aliens around, she can't be letting her fear control her."

Lettuce asked timidly, "Do you want us to go back and try to convince her to stay?"

Ryou seemed not to have heard her – he looked as if a sudden thought had struck him. "Wait, but what if…?" he asked vaguely. He didn't bother to finish his sentence. Instead, he grabbed his jacket off the back of the heart-shaped chair and headed for the door.

"I'm going to go talk to her. You all go ahead and close for the night. With Ichigo gone for a week now, we've been pretty short staffed and I don't want you all wearing yourselves out." With that, Ryou stepped outside and closed the door behind him.

Outside, he slipped on his jacket to keep out the cold winter air. He stuffed his hands in his pockets, and was just about to head for the park when he stopped short. The air in front of him was wavering…very slowly…as if it were made of gelatin.

Gradually, Kisshu appeared, hunched over and clutching at his side, a grimace of angry defiance on his face as he fought against his own body. Ryou watched impassively. The alien had tried multiple times every day this week to teleport. More often then not, he'd merely stretched his skin, though a couple of times he'd gone too far and torn it again. It had only been yesterday afternoon that he'd managed to completely vanish from his room and reappear downstairs. Now, it seemed, he had regained enough strength to teleport outside.

Kisshu was gasping for breath, but as he met Ryou's eye he straightened up painfully and said, "Hey…what's this I hear about…Ichigo quitting?"

Ryou said shrewdly, "She thinks she can't transform, so she shouldn't be part of the group anymore."

Kisshu took a moment to regain his breath. Ryou waited impatiently. Finally, Kisshu said, "And what…do you think…is the reason she can't transform?"

Ryou gave Kisshu a searching look, as if sizing him up. This time around, he had definitely noticed a change in his former enemy. Ryou had always considered Kisshu somewhat vicious in the past, not to mention desperate and slightly unstable. Though there had been no doubt that he was dangerous and for the most part could hold his own in a fight, Ryou had been more concerned about his obsession with Ichigo. However, now that Kisshu and Ryou were apparently on the same side, Ryou could see the changes in him and felt he should give him the benefit of the doubt.

Ryou said, "I think she's afraid because she thinks she'll lose someone else important to her." There was no mistaking his pointed expression.

Kisshu looked angry. "_Aoyama_..." he muttered, scowling at the ground. Ryou nodded.

"I'm going to go talk to her. You should go back inside," he added, much to Kisshu's displeasure.

"I want to go with you."

"No, you'll be seen."

"I don't care."

"Well," Ryou said irritably, "I do. The less other humans know about you aliens, the less complicated things will be."

Kisshu glared at him, and Ryou glared right back. "In that case," Kisshu said, "if you say anything or do anything to make Ichigo upset, I swear I'll…" He let the sentence trail off, as if his implications were threat enough. Ryou decided not to remind Kisshu that he still looked like he'd been in a train accident. Though, to his credit, Kisshu had reported that he'd slain one of the enemy aliens and badly injured the other. Though Ryou couldn't ever be completely comfortable around him, he was willing, for the moment, to accept him as a valuable ally.

Ryou walked past Kisshu and headed for the park. Behind him, Kisshu was seething inside. It was bad enough that every time he'd tried to teleport this week, he'd only managed to cause himself more pain. It was as if his body had turned against him. Now, Ryou was rubbing it in his face by visiting Ichigo, _his_ Ichigo, knowing full and well that Kisshu couldn't do anything about it.

However…it was disturbing news that Ichigo wanted to quit the Mews. In fact, Kisshu had been worrying himself about her to the point of insanity the entire week. That first bit of news from Tart had been bad enough…but when Pai refused to tell him anything about Ichigo, and then when Tart couldn't spy on her anymore because she'd put up those heavy curtains…Kisshu drove himself to the point of severe pain trying to teleport.

"You're going to kill yourself," Pai had informed him two days earlier, as he sat at a desk in Kisshu's room. He didn't even look up from what he was doing.

Kisshu had snarled at him, "Shut up! I've almost got it this time!"

"Kish, come on, just stop it!" Tart said, hovering cross-legged over Kisshu's empty bed – Kisshu had fallen out of it and was huddled on the floor, attempting the impossible again. Kisshu growled in his throat. "Kish!" Tart yelled. When he saw that Kish was about to cause himself more bodily harm, he did the only thing he could think to do. "I'm getting Pudding!" he said, and he disappeared from the room.

Kisshu was making noises like a wild cat with its foot caught in a trap. Pai was unperturbed. After exhausting himself to the breaking point once again, Kisshu gave up, at least for the time being. He looked over the top of the bed and saw Pai writing something down.

"What are you up to? Taking notes?" Kisshu asked crankily.

Pai glanced at him, then continued his work as if he'd been uninterrupted. Kisshu watched him write, a look of substantial concentration on his face. "Yo," Kisshu prodded, "What is-?"

"Kisshu."

"What?" he demanded.

"What is another word for 'angelic'?"

Kisshu stared. "What the hell does that have to do with anything?"

Pai made a noise of discontent in his throat, and frowning, turned away. "Never mind."

The door burst open, and Kisshu jumped.

"Kish!"

"Kish-kun, are you okay?" Pudding asked, hurrying over to Kisshu with Tart right behind her.

"I'm fine," Kisshu said, attempting to fend off the yellow-haired girl. "What's going on with Ichigo? She hasn't been here in days."

"We don't know," Pudding explained, grabbing his upper arm with both hands and making an effort to hoist him up. "You should be back in bed resting, or you won't be able to teleport anymore."

"I said, I'm-"

"Look, she knows what she's talking about!" Tart interrupted loudly, stopping Kisshu mid-protest. Kisshu's eyes swung over to him, looking surprised. Tart continued, "She has four brothers and a little sister at home to take care of. When one of them is sick, she makes sure that they get better. So if you want to see Ichigo again-" Tart added angrily, "-you should listen to Pudding and do what she says!"

There was dead silence in the room for a moment. Even Pudding was staring at him. Finally, Pai cleared his throat quietly and, leaning back over his work, murmured, "Close your mouth, Kisshu. You'll attract insects."

Pudding suddenly beamed, her face as bright as a bushel of daffodils. "Aww, Taru-Taru!" she cried happily, "You always say the best things!"

"Yeah, well," Tart said, blushing and looking at the ground. He seemed to regret his outburst. "I just meant-"

"I'll go bring us all some dinner!" Pudding said, twirling off the bed with the energy of a tornado. She hopped up a little into the air and gave Tart a spine-popping hug, which Tart accepted with a great amount of embarrassment. Kisshu realized that he, apparently, hadn't been paying attention to how much time they were spending together talking and playing. He'd had no idea that Tart knew such personal information about her.

Then, he heard Tart mutter, as if in response to Kisshu's thoughts, "There aren't a lot of people who know about Pudding and her brothers and sister. She told me one day because she looked tired and I asked why."

Kisshu, despite his aching body and irritable mood, found himself grinning. "Ahh…so you and Pudding now, neh?" he asked, glancing slyly at his young friend.

Tart let out a sputter. "W-what? Hey, I didn't say anything like-!"

"Going to help baby sit the kids, is that it?"

"What, no! I mean-"

"Supper time!" Pudding sang, skidding back into the room balancing a tray loaded with food.

"Hey, Pudding-chan," Kisshu said, grinning wickedly, "Tart wants to know if you'll marry him."

"KISSHU!" Tart turned three different shades of red and looked ready to murder his friend. "You just wait, I'm gonna-!"

"Oh, Kish-kun!" Pudding giggled, "I can't do that yet! Right now I'm engaged to another man!"

"WHAT?" Tart roared. He spluttered, "Y-you're engaged-?"

"Oh, don't worry, Taru-Taru," Pudding said happily, "I don't think I'll really marry him. He just said that he was going to when he came here, and then he left and never came back. Besides," she added, looking at him cheerfully with her bright, amber-colored eyes, "I like you much better, na no da!"

"Eh?!" Tart looked more embarrassed than ever. But still, Kisshu could tell that he was somewhat relieved to hear about the other man not being around.

"Hai!" Pudding set the tray down carefully on Kisshu's lap and then reached over and took Tart's hand. "Taru-Taru is Pudding's very very best friend!"

Tart wasn't sure what to do. Glancing at Kisshu – whose face showed nothing but glee – he paused for a moment and debated on how to respond. Finally, to Kisshu's great amusement, Tart took on an expression of determination, squared his shoulders, and loudly proclaimed to the room, "And Pudding-chan is my best friend too!"

"Awww, TARU-TARU-"

"Hey, you're choking me-!"

"Here, have some cake!"

"Okay," Tart said, sounding thankful for an excuse to have something in his mouth so he could eat instead of talk. Kisshu also decided to pick up a spoon, and he started on a bowl of soup that was sitting on the tray. A moment of melancholy passed over him, as he remembered that Ichigo was the one who was supposed to have brought him food. If she had done so today…he would've been delighted to see her in that kawaii work uniform, smiling, her bright reddish-pink hair looking so soft and smelling of strawberries…

Now, two days later, as Ryou walked away from Kisshu and Kisshu glared after him, he was even more worried about her because she wanted to quit the Mews. That must mean that something was terribly wrong. If only he could just sneak away…he knew it shouldn't take long to go on foot…but every time he tried-

"Kisshu! What are you doing, it's freezing out here!"

"I'm fine, Parfait," he said. He heard her coming up behind him. She stopped beside him, her beautiful face filled with concern.

"Come on, let's go back, it'll be getting dark soon," she said, attempting to gently push him back toward the door. Kisshu shook her off.

"I'm going this time. I've gained back a lot of my strength."

"No, Kisshu!" Parfait pleaded, "You're not strong enough, and besides, if she really wanted to see you she would've come here! She knows how hurt you are! Admit it," Parfait insisted, "she's not past Aoyama yet-"

"Stop it!" Kisshu snapped. "I don't believe you." But inside, he wasn't so sure. The night he'd returned, he'd been so convinced that she was finally going to accept his love for her. She'd waited there half the night for him, hadn't she? Why then, was she avoiding him now? Why had she disappeared?

"Come on," Parfait said, taking his arm, "Let's go back inside. I'll bring you some of Keiichiro-san's food."

Kisshu didn't answer, but this time allowed himself to be led back. His mind, however, was in turmoil, as it had been for the majority of the week, when he wasn't being distracted by Tart and Pudding or Pai's secretive, studious behavior. What was she doing? What was his Ichigo doing?

Maybe she hadn't come to love him after all. Maybe…maybe she never would. He had been desperately, almost crazily obsessed with her almost before he even properly met her, more than two years ago. He'd done stupid things to try and get her attention. He'd tried underhanded methods to convince her to leave Earth with him. He'd done it all in an attempt to save her. She had not known about the existence of Deep Blue until the end, she hadn't know that Kisshu had been directly order to _kill her_…all she'd been able to see was an enemy. An enemy who fought Aoyama multiple times and was once gravely wounded, who threatened to kill her more than once in order to save himself the pain of living without her. He even remembered saying that he would kill himself as well if he couldn't have her…and that was how he felt, both then and now.

He felt that he'd rather die than have her reject him again. Not after everything that had happened between them. She couldn't just be his friend. He couldn't stand her just being his friend.

He wanted more. He wanted his koneko-chan to love him…to say that she was his, that her heart belonged to him. Because his heart – every last bit of it – had belonged to Ichigo for a very long time…and he knew that it would never belong to anyone else.

Ichigo was his for life. If she would not be his…or if something happened to her…then Kisshu didn't know what he would do.

**- I'll update soon!**

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~***


	15. Chapter 15: An Awful, Awful Lie

**Hey Everyone! Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I was going to wait another few days to post again, but you guys made me feel so awesome that I am posting early. Just a forewarning before the next chapter: there's a brief, PG 13 sexual moment around the end of the chapter - I just wanted to say it in advance if you don't like to read that kind of thing. **

**Disclaimer: Don't own TMM. Do own Parfait, and the other three alien stooges, who don't really appear much anyway. **

Chapter Fifteen: An Awful, Awful Lie

_It was a dream that never changed. Except perhaps that it became more horrifying to witness each night it occurred._

_- quote, Chapter 1: Ichigo, Alone_

"Ichigo? There's someone here to see you."

Ichigo looked up from her desk. She'd been attempting to do her English homework, but so far the pursuit wasn't proving successful. Her Mother opened the door a little wider, and Ichigo was startled to see Ryou standing coolly in the hallway.

"This is your boss, right?"

Ichigo nodded.

Ryou's icy blue eyes looked at Ichigo calmly. "How are you feeling, Ichigo?"

Ichigo said, "Uh…fine, Shirogane-san."

"Can I talk to you about something?" he asked. Ichigo nodded.

"Is that okay, Mom?"

Of course," her Mom said, stepping away and letting Ryou walk inside. She smiled genially and said, "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Okay. Thanks, Mom." Ichigo waited until her Mother had closed the door and walked away. Then she turned her body around completely so she could see Ryou head on. "What are you doing here?"

Ryou sat himself on the edge of her bed. He gave her a look that immediately made her uncomfortable – as if he were scrutinizing her. "Tell me why you want to quit the Mew Mews," he said, not even bothering with a pretense.

Ichigo was caught off guard. "Uh, wait, when did you-?"

"Lettuce, Mint, and Pudding told me. You weren't brave enough to just come and tell me yourself, so I decided I had to come to you."

"It wasn't like that!" Ichigo said indignantly. "I wasn't afraid!"

"Then what was it?" Ryou raised his eyebrows.

Ichigo glared at him. "Well-well, see, the thing is…I can't tell you!" She crossed her arms and met his gaze. Maybe if she was stubborn enough he'd go away. He usually didn't have much patience.

Ryou said calmly, "Then you have no real reason for leaving."

"I can't transform anymore – isn't that reason enough?"

"No. Because I _know_ you can still transform."

"I tried!" Ichigo insisted. "I was being attacked and I still couldn't do it. I don't think I have the power in me anymore." Ichigo felt the lie's bitterness in her mouth; she honestly had felt the power in her spark again when she'd kissed her pendent, but then as soon as she'd remembered her fear, the power had died away.

Ryou looked at her as if he was reading her mind. Ichigo demanded, "What is it?"

"You're afraid that Kisshu will be hurt again."

Ichigo let out a gasp.

Ryou looked satisfied with himself. "It makes sense," he said. "He's still doing pretty bad. Even after a week, he can barely teleport. You know-" Ryou speculated, "-he's probably slowing his recovery because he keeps trying to teleport here to see you."

Ichigo's eyes lowered in shame. "I can't go back."

"Why not?"

"Do I have to explain?" she pleaded.

"If you want to quit the Mews, then yes."

"But…" Ichigo felt trapped. She was no way she was going to tell Ryou about Parfait. There was no way she was ever going to tell anyone about it. Ever.

But what could she say? Ryou was staring at her. She had to tell him something.

"I…well, yes," she admitted. "I am afraid that Kisshu will be hurt again. He had to save me because I couldn't transform and…I just don't want him to have to go through that again."

"Ichigo." Ryou stopped her train of thought. "The enemy already knows your face. At this point, even if you're just an ordinary girl, they'll still come after you."

Horrified, Ichigo realized he was right. Was there no way to escape? Was there no way to stay out of Kisshu's life so he wouldn't get hurt again?

Because that's what she was trying to do – that's why she hadn't gone to work in a week. She was trying to keep as much distance as she could between her and Kisshu. Hearing that he'd been trying to teleport to her and had been hurting himself made her feel even worse.

"I just need to stay away from Kisshu," Ichigo said finally. "If there's a way for me to not see him, or talk to him, then I'll still be a Mew."

Ryou's face changed slightly. "Wait," he said, frowning, "did he do something to you? Is he up to his old tricks again?"

"Oh, no!" Ichigo said hurriedly. "No, he didn't do anything!"

"So then why are you so afraid of seeing him?"

Because – well, because…I just-" Ichigo looked away. "I really can't tell you that. Just – if there's any way for me to not see him or talk to him or work at the Café and still be a Mew, then I'll do it. I know how important it is to keep protecting the Earth."

"So you want to be treated like Zakuro? Have another job and then come when we need you?"

"Hai!" Ichigo grabbed at the idea. "That's it, exactly, that's what I want! I'll just be like Zakuro and come when you guys need me!"

"Which means," Ryou said, "that you need to figure out how to transform again, and fast. Worst comes to worst, I'll start training you one on one so that you can get back into fighting shape."

Ichigo gulped. She'd never had any kind of formal training before – and Ryou was sure to be hard on her. But maybe he could help her after all. Maybe she would be able to become strong again, and then she could fight and find some way to redeem herself. Maybe if she became strong again, then someday – at some point – she would be able to see Kisshu again, and not feel like the lowest scum on the Earth.

Ryou stood up suddenly. "I'll give you another week to figure out how to transform again. And I'll explain the situation to Kisshu, so that he doesn't bother you."

A pang went through Ichigo's chest. As if he could bother her now – it had been a long time since she'd been truly angry with Kisshu, or even really annoyed. So much had changed. In the past, he had actually been scary to her, because she was sure he'd been serious about killing her – in a casual, lighthearted manner, no less. Then she'd started to gain confidence, figure out how to be a Mew, and get used to Kisshu and his personality. Then, he was merely an annoyance who had a habit of throwing Chimera Animals at her and trying to kiss her. Now, even though his basic personality traits were still very much the same, he had become so much more.

Ichigo nodded in agreement. "Arigato," she said quietly, bowing her head. Ryou headed for the door.

"I'll call you again in a week. See ya." With that, Ryou left the room, closing the door behind him and seeing himself down the stairs.

Ichigo sat back down at her desk heavily, and put her head in her hands. So Ryou was going to talk to Kisshu…and tell him what? To stay away from her, to not talk to her, or try to see her. Would Kisshu listen…? He might just think that Ryou was trying to make a move on Ichigo and get jealous instead…or he might want to come and hear the words from Ichigo herself. She grew cold at the thought of facing him and having to tell him that.

Absently, she took out her pendant and turned it over in her hands. This tiny little piece of metal was supposed to be the key to her transformation. Ryou said that she had a week to learn how to become a Mew again.

She put the pendent up to her lips and kissed it. "MEW MEW ICHIGO, METAMORPHOSIS!" Even though the words were the same, she said them with much less conviction than usual. She felt the power spark, but was almost positive that it wouldn't work. Sure enough, the power died away, and left Ichigo feeling even weaker than before.

She set the pendant down on the desk and decided to go to bed early. She'd actually been sleeping a lot more than normal lately. Mostly it had been in an attempt to not think about Kisshu or Parfait, but more often than not she ended up having more nightmares.

It had occurred to Ichigo that normally she would be furious at Parfait for everything she had done. She'd hated Ichigo from the very beginning, and had already decided that she should stay away from Kisshu. However, to go as far as she had – to do something as dirty as show Ichigo those images of Masaya – had been beyond conceivable.

But Ichigo wasn't mad, because she knew that Parfait was right about her – about how she'd taken Masaya's company for granted, how she'd treated Kisshu when secretly all Kisshu wanted was to save her, how she'd killed Masaya and then been unable to revive him...Ichigo couldn't deny the facts. For the past two years she'd only felt guilty about not being able to save Masaya, but really, there was so much more than that. She had never even thought about what she'd done to Kisshu. And then, to have Kisshu still love her so much even after all that, to have him look at her as he did when Masaya died, was incredible. And as if that wasn't enough, he hadn't stopped caring about her for two years, on his home planet, where beautiful aliens like Parfait had probably wanted to be his girlfriend.

And Ichigo had been in his blood…imprinted there, able to be detected. His feelings for her hadn't weakened at all, it seemed.

Ichigo curled up on her bed. She was tired of thinking. She just hoped that Kisshu would do what Ryou said.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tart exclaimed, "What? She wants Kisshu to stay away from her? Why?"

Ryou surveyed the four aliens gathered in Kisshu's room. Tart was sitting cross-legged in the air, while Pai was seated at the desk once again, a neatly-folded square of white paper clutched in one hand. Even Pai's normally cold expression looked concerned – he frowned, then glanced immediately at his friend on the bed. Parfait was sitting on the edge of the mattress, her expression difficult to place, though it occurred to Ryou that it looked liked relief. Beside her, Kisshu had his mouth open, his eyes wide with surprise and fury, too appalled to speak. His fists were clenched at his sides.

Ryou explained, "She says that she doesn't want to put you in danger. She's agreed to continue being a Mew and attempting to regain her transformation powers if she doesn't have to work here anymore and if Kisshu stays away from her."

"NO!" Kisshu suddenly leaped up from the bed, causing Parfait to fly off with a cry. He lurched toward Ryou, crouching at the foot of the bed where Ryou stood. He brought his face up close and snarled, "What the hell makes you think I'd stop seeing Ichigo? She's the REASON I'm here!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Ryou saw Parfait spasm as if something had caused her pain, and she scowled in Kisshu's direction. A sudden suspicion occurred to Ryou, but he kept his thoughts to himself. Turning back to Kisshu, he said, "If you try to see her, she won't agree to continue being a Mew. Those are the conditions."

Kisshu whirled away furiously. Tart looked frightened at Kisshu's behavior, clearly afraid that he might explode. "Can't…" he attempted nervously, "can't Ichigo just talk to Kish?"

Ryou shook his head. "She doesn't want to."

Kisshu bared his teeth, a growl escaping from his throat. "No," he hissed. "This can't happen. She doesn't mean it!" With a look toward Ryou hot enough to melt ice, he said loudly, "I've waited two years to see her again and I'm not going to let this happen!" Then, before Ryou could stop him, Kisshu vanished.

Ryou swore. Apparently he wasn't going to listen to anyone but Ichigo – and with how upset he was, maybe not even her.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_No…stop…this is a bad dream…I don't want to be here anymore…_

"Ichigo! ICHIGO!"

Someone grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her awake. Alarmed, Ichigo opened her eyes.

When she saw who it was, she nearly died right then and there. Surely this was part of the nightmare she'd been having. Surely this couldn't be real.

Kisshu looked deranged; his eyes were glowing white with fury, and his hands hurt where they clenched her shoulders. Ichigo was immediately afraid. Ryou must've told him what Ichigo had said. And Kisshu hadn't listened.

"What's going on, Ichigo? What is it? Why did you say you were going to quit the Mews unless I stayed away from you?" Kisshu demanded.

Ichigo flinched. "Kisshu, that hurts!" she cried.

"Tell me!" Kisshu shouted.

"I'm sorry!" Ichigo said. "I'm sorry, I don't want to see you anymore, not ever!"

"NO!" Kisshu slammed her down into the mattress, pinning her shoulders with his hands. "No, that's not good enough, tell me why!"

"I can't!" Ichigo said. "Please, just believe me, I would tell you if I could, but I can't!"

"But you're _mine,_ Ichigo!" Kisshu's eyes bored into her, and he was getting louder and louder. "You're mine, not Aoyama's!" His voice rose into a note of despair. "Am I never going to be good enough? Do I always have to compete against him, even when he's _dead_?"

Ichigo understood his rage now; he thought she was trying to avoid him because she didn't love him as much as she loved Masaya. He thought she was still holding onto Masaya, that she had no sort of attraction toward Kisshu at all. It wasn't true – not in the least – but he was confused, hurt, and jealous, and it was making him lose control.

However…if she told him that she wasn't over Masaya, and that she didn't love Kisshu, and confirmed his fears, then that would be better than admitting what Parfait had done to her. If she told him that she had no interest in being his girlfriend – a downright lie – then maybe he would be angry enough to fall out of love with her, and then the enemy wouldn't have to target her anymore because she wouldn't be so important to Kisshu. At the very least, if the enemy decided to still target her, then with the distance between her and Kisshu, she would have to fight on her own. Maybe she would be able to keep him out of the fight entirely if they were far enough apart, geographically or otherwise.

She didn't want to say it – more than anything, she didn't want to lie to Kisshu and herself and tell him that she was still in love with Masaya and that she didn't have feelings for him. Because it was such an awful, awful lie. But she didn't know what else to do. She wasn't going to put Kisshu in danger anymore. She wasn't going to be caught treating him with such disregard again, as she had in the past. He wouldn't have to protect her and get hurt again. He could learn to stop having feelings for her and then maybe start going out with Parfait instead – what was what she wanted, wasn't it?

The idea sounded horrible. Appalling. But it was all she could do. She closed her eyes briefly, summoning up her courage.

"I do love Aoyama-kun." She said it strongly, coldly, in answer to his question. "I don't have any feelings for you-"

"NO!" Kisshu roared. He grabbed her head in both his hands, his fingers tangling in her hair, and brought his mouth down hard on her's.

Ichigo's shout was muffled, but then she felt the kiss and nothing else mattered. Immediately, like an explosive, she reacted to his fierce kiss. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and arched her back so she pressed up closer to him. Sliding his hand under the back of her head, Kisshu brought her face closer to his and cradled her in his arms, still kissing her with a intense passion that took Ichigo's breath away.

Then, sure that if she didn't do it now she never would, Ichigo tore away and struggled to escape from under him. "No – Kisshu-"

"Please, Ichigo." Kisshu's lips grazed her neck, his breath hot on her skin, his voice ragged. "I love you, koneko-chan."

"Kisshu!" Ichigo struggled harder, knowing that if she didn't stop him now, she would give in. "Kisshu, stop it! Kisshu, I LOVE AOYAMA-KUN!"

With those words, she wrenched away from Kisshu, who has suddenly stopped moving as if paralyzed. Ichigo leaped from the bed and ran to the opposite side of the room. Her heart pounding, she watched as Kisshu slowly recovered from being thrown off of her.

He looked at her. Ichigo felt as if her heart would burst with pain; her lie had destroyed him. The fight had drained out of him, his spirit seemed nonexistent.

"All right, Ichigo."

He sounded defeated. It reminded Ichigo of the last time he'd tried to take her to his home planet. She had rejected him, unaware that Deep Blue was on the rise and he'd been trying one more desperate time to get her to safety.

"If that's what you really want. If you're sure…then I'll go. But," he added, "I won't leave until the enemy is gone. I won't let you fight them alone. It's my fault they even came here in the first place."

Slowly Kisshu got up from the bed, and stepped onto the floor. Ichigo stared at him, wide-eyed and shaking. Kisshu's eyes held nothing but sorrow. "If you ever – and I mean _ever_ – change your mind, koneko-chan… I'll still be waiting for you." He gave her one last, long, heart-breaking look. "You know, omae," he said, a bitter look in his golden eyes, "I was never the brave, strong, chivalrous Blue Knight that Aoyama was, but…" His eyes met her's. "I had hoped that maybe you would see…that really I…just wanted…your heart."

He turned away, and with a slight wavering of the air, disappeared into the night.

**Take Care!**

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~***


	16. Chapter 16: Hai, I'm Here

**All right, here's the next chapter! Thanks for all the amazing reviews! This has been a wonderful first-time FF experience for me and it's all thanks to everyone's encouragement and support that I've been able to write this freakishly long epic romance. I couldn't have (and wouldn't have) done it without all of you. So thank you so much, and know that I'm writing this story for every single one of you! (hopefully you dig the romance because I'm a sap for it so it's everywhere...)**

**Anyways...I love Kisshu! But I don't own him or TMM! All righty then, without further ado, let's get back to the story! **

Two Weeks Later…

Chapter Sixteen: Hai, I'm Here

_"Doubtless God could have made a better berry (than the strawberry), but doubtless God never did."_

_- William Allen Butler_

"Neh…I'm bored," Tart complained. "When is the Café going to close?"

"The same time it always does," Pai said tonelessly. Tart scuffed his foot against the rooftop impatiently.

"Pudding hadn't talked to me all day," he muttered, scowling at the ground. "She's been so busy with work and school and all that."

Kisshu was barely listening to what his friends were saying. The three of them were sitting on top of the roof of Café Mew Mew, watching the sun set.

"Well, it's kinda pretty, I guess," Tart had said, noticing the sky when they first came up.

"It's the pollution," Kisshu grumbled. "It makes the colors especially bright."

Tart glared at Kisshu. "You're no fun at all anymore," he complained. Kisshu didn't answer, and Tart sat down on Pai's other side to sulk.

They had be sitting outside for at least an hour – Kisshu couldn't be sure, as time seemed to be extremely inconsistent lately. During the day, it was slow – Kisshu spent some of his time in the basement of the Café with Crumb, Soda, and Scone, some in his room, and most of it on rooftops. His locations varied – sometimes he stayed at the Café, and sometimes he chose a skyscraper. Consistently, he found himself passing the time by staring out at the sky, sometimes talking to himself, but more often than not unable to find words to adequately express his feelings.

It had been two weeks. Two long, unhappy weeks of Ichigo staying away from him – nothing felt right. No matter where he went or what he did, he was always uncomfortable, always upset or brooding. Pai and Tart sometimes stayed with him, but often times Tart grew bored and Pai had to go check on their friends' progress in tracking the aliens.

"There has been very little activity," Pai told Kisshu and Tart. Tart brightened a little.

"Well, that's good – guess it's too much to hope for that they've given up, neh?" he asked.

Pai nodded solemnly. "I would say so."

Kisshu said quietly, "It's suspicious that they've laid low for this long. It feels like they're wasting their time just hanging around."

Pai glanced over at Kisshu. Kisshu realized Pai was wondering if he was referring to himself at well. He glared at his friend. "But I'm sticking around until they go away," he added. Pai gave a barely perceptible nod and looked back out to the sky. Kisshu settled his head on his curled-up knees.

Tart cleared his throat, then ventured tentatively, "Pudding says that Ichigo's doing okay."

Kisshu looked over at Tart, instantly alert. Tart didn't usually talk about Ichigo when Kisshu was around. Come to think of it, no one did. As if they thought pretending she didn't exist in front of him would help at all. At this point, he was starved for information about her. The only time he saw her, he kept to himself…because technically, he wasn't supposed to be seeing her at all.

But he couldn't help it. He just couldn't. Kisshu said, "She is? What's she doing? What did Pudding say?"

Tart shrugged. "Not very much. Just that she's training with Ryou because she's having trouble becoming a Mew again."

Kisshu turned away, his pointed fangs glinting just slightly as his gritted his teeth in anger. Ryou was just her mentor, and he got to see her every day. It wasn't fair – for Kisshu, Ichigo was on his mind all the time. He couldn't have gotten her sweet face out of his head if he'd tried. Though, granted, the last time she'd talked to him, her normally cute, happy face had been filled with sadness and a little fear. He hadn't meant to hurt her – he knew he'd gripped her too hard – but he'd been so upset, and mad, and confused that he'd let his emotions run rampant. Nowadays, he was acting more like Pai – barely smiling, rarely joking - not at all his normal sneaky self.

From the ground, they heard a voice. "Taru-Taru! You can come down now!" The three aliens saw the little yellow Pudding down on the ground, broom in hand, smiling merrily at them.

Tart picked himself up off the roof. "Finally," he muttered, jetting off to her at once. "So, how was work?" Kisshu heard him ask, before tuning him out. Pai glanced at Kisshu again.

"The training bothers you." It wasn't a question; Pai didn't need to guess about his friend.

Kisshu's fist clenched. "He just cares about saving the planet. Just about having his precious Mew group do the fighting for him. He doesn't even care about how hard this is for Ichigo." The name left a bitter taste in his mouth. He tried to say it as little as possible, but sometimes it slipped out before he could censor himself. He regretted it every time.

"Hmm," Paid said noncommittally. Kisshu abruptly stood up – by now, the sky was darkening to twilight.

"I'll going out for a while," he said unnecessarily. Pai looked at him sideways. Kisshu suspected that Pai knew his destination, and his eyes narrowed.

"You won't tell?"

Pai frowned slightly. "Has she seen you yet?"

Kisshu shook his head. "No. I wait until she's asleep."

"Then, no."

Kisshu shot a grateful look at his friend, and swooped off into the night, teleporting with barely a disturbance. Pai stayed still for a moment longer, and then took out a small, neat square of paper, unfolded it, and began to read.

Meanwhile, Kisshu had arrived in Ichigo's neighborhood. Hiding behind one of the neighboring houses, Kisshu could see a light on in Ichigo's room. He inched closer, thankful that his dark clothes helped him blend into the darkness.

After Ichigo had told him that she still loved Aoyama and wanted him to stay away, he'd done as she asked – for about three days. But the ache of not seeing her had been too strong, and Kisshu knew that if he was careful, he could find a way around what he'd said he'd do. Kisshu was smart – he was sneaky, and he had a long history of spying on Ichigo without her knowing. As long as she didn't find out he was watching, no one would stop him for continuing.

Though he had to admit, it did make him feel low to have to stoop to his level again. Back when he'd been Ichigo's enemy, he'd been rather fascinated by her activities, but certainly hadn't hung onto every little thing she did, as he tended to now.

Even the smallest things she did reminded Kisshu of how much he wanted her. Inside her room, the door opened, and Kisshu saw that she had already showered and was in her pajamas. He watched her hang up her towel and go over to the mirror to brush out her hair. He'd rarely seen it wet before. It made him smile – she looked like a little kitten who'd been caught out in the rain.

This was how he'd spent the past few evenings – hiding out of view, just staring at her, watching her get ready for bed and go to sleep. Usually, she tossed around for at least an hour before settling down. It was only then that Kisshu felt it was safe to float up to her window and watch her closer.

Tonight, once she was asleep, Kisshu was dismayed to see that the nightmare had returned. Now Kisshu could always tell when she was having bad dreams; she would whimper, and squirm a little as if she was trying to escape from someone's grasp. Since Kisshu hadn't been in her room again, he wasn't sure if she spoke anymore, but tonight, her window was open and he could hear her muttering something. If it was possible, she seemed more distressed than usual.

Kisshu debated as he watched her struggle. He remembered he'd gone in once before, and after hearing Aoyama's name, had angrily retreated. Surely if he went in again to try and comfort her, it would be the same. He didn't know much about human dreams, but Ichigo tended to act the same way every night, so he wondered if maybe it was the same dream.

Kisshu floated a few inches closer, his hands just barely touching the windowsill. He was so unsure of what to do. Inside, Ichigo was becoming more and more restless. It was so hard to just watch her. It was against all his instincts. It was-

"Neh, koneko-chan," Kisshu muttered, grabbing the window and sliding it upward. "I just can't say no to you." He squeezed through the opening and hopped inside.

His heart pounding, he approached the bed once more. It felt like a cooling balm over a burn – seeing her face this close again. But his face furrowed in sympathy at her expression, which was highly distressed. He wondered which part of the dream she was in, and how much more of it there was to go, or if when it ended she woke up or it simply repeated itself.

He supposed it didn't really matter – the more important thing was that she was hurting, and even if he had to hear that stupid Earth boy's name again, at least he could try and help her feel better. Hopefully, she wouldn't wake up, or he would have to explain what he'd been doing for the past week and a half.

He bent over and rested his hands lightly on her shoulders – just light enough to still her. He deeply regretted the way he'd handled her before, when he'd grabbed her. He was sure she'd gotten bruises, or at the very least been scratched by his nails. Then, he leaned his face in close, nestling right into the curve of her neck, breathing in her sweet, strawberry-scented hair.

"Ichigo…" he breathed into her ear, barely audible. "It's okay, koneko-chan, I'm here."

He felt her body still underneath him, and her breathing grew more even. She tried to form a coherent word on her lips, but so far her sleep-talk was unintelligible.

Kisshu sighed into her hair. This was perfect. This was paradise. Just listening to her breathing, in the quiet of the night, without her sad little face reminding him that she didn't want to be his.

"K-Kisshu."

Kisshu froze. He knew from the tone that she'd said it in her sleep, but still…_she had said his name_. It was him this time, him she was dreaming about, not the Earth boy.

"Hai," Kisshu whispered, lifting his head to look at her face. It was peaceful now; was she thinking about him? Was she comforted by him, both in the dream and out? Kisshu's long fingers traced her cheek. He felt an overwhelming surge of thankfulness.

"Hai, I'm here," he repeated, his quiet voice breaking when tears escaped his eyes. They dripped onto her cheeks, and Kisshu carefully tried to wipe them away.

"You'll always be my koneko-chan," he murmured. "I'll always keep you safe." Placing a feather-light kiss on her forehead, he reluctantly retreated, lest she wake up to find him there. As he left, he was careful to slide the window back down.

Even though she still had no knowledge of what he was doing, he felt incredibly happy all of the sudden. She was thinking about him. She was dreaming about him. She had said his name…

"Ichigo," he said, sighing. Quiet as a breath of air, he teleported back to the Café.

-----------------------------------

"Hey, Ichigo!"

"Oh, hi Takata." Ichigo greeted him unenthusiastically. She was tired, worn out from a morning training lesson with Ryou, and behind in almost every class despite the fact that she had more spare time on her hands now than she had in years. Finally, the day was over, and she was ready to get out.

Takata stumbled in his haste to reach her. "So, Ichigo, I was wondering-"

"Not today, please," Ichigo blurted out, rubbing her eyes. Takata looked at her with concern.

"What's wrong, Ichigo? Are you sick? I could take you to the nurse's-"

"I'm fine, Takata," Ichigo said, a bit more sharply than she'd wanted. "I don't need anything, okay?"

"Sure," Takata agreed. "So, uh, anyways, there's uh, this thing that's happening this Friday-"

"Seriously!" Ichigo rounded on him, completely frustrated and overwhelmed. "I don't want to go out with you, okay?" She instantly regretted what she'd said, but to be perfectly honest she was sick of him and already in a bad mood. The training session had not gone well. Mostly it consisted of Ryou trying to make her focus her mind and her heart on the transformation.

The only problem was, her heart wasn't into it. She wasn't sure if she even had a heart anymore. She still talked fairly often with the other Mews, but she felt like she could only be there for them half-way. She listened to what they were saying, but nothing seemed to hit home.

At least, not unless they mentioned Kisshu. Which they did, just to keep her updated. And to try and pry out of her why she refused to see him. Despite telling them her blanket reason of not wanting to put him in danger and have him fight on her account, Mint, Lettuce, and Pudding seemed to know better. Even Zakuro, whom Ichigo occasionally talked to on the phone, knew that there was more to the story.

Ichigo had been walking to Lettuce's house to see her before she left for the Café. When she knocked on the door, Lettuce greeted her looking a little out of breath.

"Ichigo!" She smiled. "Come on in! I'll bring us some snacks."

"That's okay," Ichigo said. "You have to go pretty soon, don't you?"

"Hai," Lettuce said, twisting her hands in a somewhat nervous fashion. Ichigo looked at her curiously.

"Hey, what's wrong? You look a little…overwhelmed."

Lettuce laughed sheepishly. "Well, see, the thing is…I've been searching for a reference from something Pai wrote, because I want to counter it with something from the same source, but I've looked everywhere and I can't find it anywhere!"

Ichigo laughed a little. "Maybe I can help." She had to admit, she was curious to see some of Pai's writing; thus far, she only had Lettuce's descriptions to go on.

However, she instantly understood why Lettuce looked so stressed – there were about six books full of poetry piled up on her desk, with another opened on top of her bed.

"Uh, couldn't you use a computer for this?" Ichigo asked uncertainly.

"The connection's down," Lettuce explained. They both sat her bed and Lettuce handed Ichigo the unfolded note. "He tapes them to the windowsill now," Lettuce said, blushing a little. "Sort of like my own personal mail service."

"And how does he get yours?"

Lettuce looked embarrassed. "Usually I ask Pudding to give them to him. She doesn't mind at all. In fact, she's around the three of them a lot now." Lettuce was careful not to mention Kisshu's name – Ichigo's face did a funny spasm whenever he was mentioned.

For Ichigo, the last two weeks had been extremely disheartening. She missed Kisshu like crazy – his humor, his wicked grin, his pet names – and her training was going nowhere. Not to mention, the nightmares still plagued her every night.

However…last night something had happened. She'd felt the nightmare stop abruptly at one point, and a warmth had surrounded her. The images had gone black; she'd felt as if she were swathed in a huge blanket that blocked out all the horrible images and sounds. And she'd imagined Kisshu was speaking to her, saying her name. She was sure it had just been some kind of extension on her dream, but she had been so grateful to hear his comforting voice that she'd tried to answer.

Sighing, Ichigo tried to push away the memories of the night; it had all just been a big, muddled mess of dreams, and she was sick of dreams. She'd wanted Kisshu to stay away, and he was. There was no point in wishing for him now. Straightening up a little, she focused her attention on Lettuce and buried herself into solving the poem.

**Well, until next time then!**

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~***


	17. Chapter 17: How Are You, KonekoChan?

**Okay...so I know I just updated a day or two ago, but I'm procrastinating from doing my homework so I thought I'd post the next one early! Rally, Parfait-haters - here is, finally, a chapter with a little payback for our very own beautiful alien ice queen!**

**I gotta say, this has been so fun to write! I'm sitting here listening to "Moments" by Hamasaki Ayumi, and it's such a sweet, beautiful love song that I'm getting all teary-eyed writing the next chapter! Waaahh, I really LOVE romance stories, nya! **

**Hope everyone enjoys this one - it's shorter (ha ha, meaning five pages compared to my usual six or seven) than most of my chapters, so my apologies for that. **

Chapter Seventeen: How Are You, Koneko-Chan?

_my efforts are pale;_

_the undersides of leaves_

_the fluttering of moths' wings_

_the fragility of life,_

_compared to your beauty_

_and grace._

_- quote from Pai-san, poem #3_

"Hey, Lettuce?"

"Hmm?" said Lettuce, still scanning through one of the books.

Ichigo paused. "Umm…well, I was just wondering…why do you like Pai-san? What is it about him that you're attracted to?"

Lettuce looked up, startled.

"I'm sorry," Ichigo said hastily. "If you don't want to say-"

"Oh, it's fine, I'm just surprised."

"Because, looking at this," Ichigo guestured toward the piece of paper in her hand, "this really beautiful poem, it's pretty obvious that there's a lot of things he likes about you."

Lettuce blushed. "Hai…well, let's see…I have to admit, the thing that I like the most about Pai is his…well, strength, and his composure."

Ichigo blinked. Lettuce went on to explain, "When I'm near him, I feel so safe, because he's so strong and secure. He makes good decisions and he hardly ever loses his temper. And he looks strong too – well, I mean to say," she added quickly, while Ichigo giggled, "I do like the way he looks, not that it matters so much one way or the other…I mean, well, I suppose it does, not that I pay particular attention most of the time, though it's not that I don't appreciate it…oh dear…"

"I get it," Ichigo said, muffling her laugh a little. "He's good-looking. Okay. What else?"

"His words," Lettuce said, smiling. "He speaks so eloquently."

"Kind of like you," Ichigo said. "And I would guess that he reads a lot too. I could see that-" she added, the image popping into her head "-the two of you sitting together reading a classic. Aww, it's so kawaii, nya!" Ichigo, finally, found a true smiling lighting her face as she beamed at Lettuce. Lettuce saw it as well, and smiled back

"That does sound…wonderful," she admitted. Then she glanced at the clock, and jumped. "Oh no! I'm late! Oh, we spent so much time talking, I forgot about the-"

_Ring ring_. Lettuce jumped again as her cell phone started ringing. She answered it, looking slightly harassed.

"Shirogane-san?" Lettuce's eyes went wide. "_What?_ An emergency?" She glanced over at Ichigo. "She's right here – hai – hai, okay." Lettuce held the small phone out to Ichigo. "Shirogane-san wants to talk to you."

Gingerly, Ichigo took the phone from Lettuce. There was a cold feeling in her stomach since Lettuce had said "emergency." "Hello?"

"Hey, Ichigo, I need you and Lettuce to come to the Café right away."

Ichigo's stomach dropped. "What? Why?"

"I'll explain when you get here. Hurry up, we don't have any time to lose."

"Is it – the enemy?" Ichigo asked.

"Hai. I'll see you in a few." Ryou hung up on her. Ichigo closed the phone and handed it back to Lettuce.

"We're both supposed to go," Ichigo said, her eyes wide. "It's the enemy aliens. They must be up to something." Ichigo shuddered as she remembered the monstrous, reptilian creatures. What's more, she hadn't made a successful transformation yet. She hadn't even regained any of her cat-like abilities. How was she supposed to fight? What did Ryou expect her to do?

And worst of all – would she have to see Kisshu? Would she have to look him in the face and see the hurt there, the pain of the lie she'd told him?

Yet even though she was afraid, Ichigo knew that she'd agreed to still be a Mew, and that meant when there was a Mew emergency, she had to show up. So, with a terrible feeling of unease, she followed Lettuce out of the house, wrapping her coat tight around her body. It didn't help; she still felt cold.

---------------------------

Kisshu was watching everyone around him as if behind a glass door. Sitting in one of the heart-shaped chairs, he watched as Pudding did somersaults over Tart's head, and Tart tried to catch her, and at another table, Mint grilled the beautiful, hardly-ever-present Zakuro about her new job. Glamorous, and incredibly cool-headed as usual, Zakuro accepted Mint's questions with a small smile. Kisshu could practically see hearts throbbing in Mint's eyes as she stared adoringly up at her idol. She had been absent from the Mew scene for a long time.

However, now there was an emergency, and Ryou had called Lettuce and Ichigo right away. Kisshu already knew the situation, and had already decided that the best thing for him to do would be to wait upstairs. Since Ichigo had no choice but to come here, he wouldn't subject her to being around him if he could help it. Still, it hurt that she had gone through all this trouble just to avoid him.

"Gotcha!" Tart pounced on Pudding, and both of them crashed into three chairs and landed in a heap on the ground. Tart ended up pinning Pudding to the ground, laughing triumphantly.

Pudding giggled. "Wow, Taru-Taru, you're heavy!"

Tart blanched. "Well, I'm stronger now," he defended, getting off of her. "And even if I am heavy, it's because you're always trying to give me cake and stuff!"

Pudding beamed. "Hai! And it's good, isn't it?"

"Yeah, well…"

Pudding compulsively wrapped Tart into a hug. Tart had stopped resisting long ago – in fact, to Kisshu's slight amusement, he sometimes caught Tart smiling behind Pudding's back.

Pudding let go and bounced up and down excitedly. "Yay, I haven't turned into Mew Pudding in so long!" she cried. "I'm so excited!"

"And I haven't used these in forever!" Tart said, taking out his weapons and twirling them around his fingers. They had changed in the last two years; they no longer resembled the red children's toy that he'd used against the Mews. Now they were two balls of solid metal, connected by a long, thin, lethal chain. "Not since we got here anyway – it's so boring, all we ever do is sit around. Let me at 'em! I'll take one down all by myself!" To demonstrate, Tart's fingers accidently slipped on the chain, and sent his weapon whirling toward Kisshu. Yelling, Kisshu stuck his hand up just in time to stop it from hitting him. He winced; it felt as if he'd smacked his hand with a bat.

"Hey, watch it, you baka," Kisshu said, hurling the weapon back at Tart. Tart caught it easily, and scowled at the ground.

"Well, it's been a while, you know – I didn't get to fight the last two guys, cuz you kept them all to yourself."

"I'll bet," Kisshu said, "your fingers just slipped because Pudding's here, neh?"

"WHAT?" Tart yelped, his eyes wide. Pudding giggled, and Tart looked at her in alarm.

"Oh, Taru-Taru, you get so funny when you're mad!"

"Hmph." Tart crossed his arms and ignored the comment.

"Hey." Zakuro was peering out the window. "Lettuce and Ichigo are here." Her cool eyes glanced over toward Kisshu. Frowning unhappily, Kisshu sighed. Predictably, Pai teleported from upstairs. Kisshu wished he didn't have to switch places.

"See ya later," he muttered to Pai, and with that he disappeared and retired upstairs. Maybe if he was quick he could catch a glimpse of Ichigo through the upstairs window.

-----------------------------

"So, everyone…" Ryou's icy eyes surveyed the group – considerably larger than in the old days; there were the untransformed Mews Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, and Zakuro, plus Pai and Tart, plus the four aliens Crumb, Scone, Soda and Parfait. Keiichiro sat behind Ryou, typing furiously on the computer.

"We've got a situation. We've finally been able to detect some enemy activity. There's a large store of their concentrated energy in one spot – we think it may be because they're all finally gathered in one place."

"Where is it?" Zakuro asked.

"The Tokyo landfill – just a few miles out of the city."

Mint wrinkled her nose. "Yuck."

"Now's not the time to be squeamish," Ryou said seriously. "This is the biggest lead we've had so far, so we've gotta move fast. Everyone, be ready to fight if you have to – Mews, do you all have your pendants?"

As the others all answered "Hai!" Ryou saw Ichigo's worried expression. He said to her, "You won't be going, Ichigo."

Her head snapped up. "What?" she gasped. She was shocked. She knew perfectly well that she couldn't transform, but to have Ryou tell her to come here just to tell her that she couldn't go…and she had always been the leader of the Mews, she would never have purposely ditched a mission before…

Ryou's voice was brisk, but Ichigo thought she saw a little sympathy in his eyes. "You'd just be in danger out there. We'll wait until you can transform comfortably, and then you can join the group out in the battle again."

Ichigo immedietly felt ostracized from the group, as if she had a disease. She could almost imagine everyone inching away from her, hoping they wouldn't catch it. Luckily, that wasn't the case; Lettuce put a hand on her shoulder, Mint gave her an encouraging smile, and Pudding hugged her waist. She was grateful; hopefully soon she'd be able to be their leader again.

"In the meanwhile," Ryou said, turning away from her crestfallen face, "Kisshu will be leading all of you. Mews, make sure you do what he says – even if it's to retreat. He and his friends know these enemy aliens a lot better than we do."

Ichigo felt a knot in her throat. Kisshu, the leader? It made him sound so strong. Despite the fact that she wasn't going, and despite the fact that she was used to being the leader, she felt something like pride for Kisshu. Truly, he must've changed in the two years he'd been on his planet. She was sure that the change was apparent in Pai and Tart as well. Again, she felt the stab of guilt that she wasn't going.

Ryou said, "Crumb, Soda, and Scone have been doing a lot of work down here for the past weeks trying to track these guys down. Let's make sure we take care of this now." He gave the group one final, sweeping gaze. "Good luck, everyone."

"Arigato, Shirogane-san," Zakuro said.

"Don't worry, we'll get them!" Pudding squealed, looking excited. "Right, Taru-Taru?"

Tart's eyes gleamed with anticipation. "You bet!" he agreed, and the two of them hurried upstairs. The rest of the group followed them. Ichigo lagged behind, and she felt Ryou looking at her before he passed by and headed up the stairs. Keiichiro squeezed her shoulder as he also walked back upstairs. Then the door shut, and Ichigo was all alone.

Or so she thought.

"So you can't change back?"

The silky voice made Ichigo whirl around. It was Parfait. Apparently she'd stayed behind to interrogate Ichigo. The sight of her made Ichigo afraid and simultaneously defensive at the same time.

Parfait's full mouth curled into a smile. "Hmm. That's interesting. Well," she added, "I, for one, hope that you never change back again."

Ichigo glared at her, and finally said angrily, "What's the matter? Is Kisshu not spending enough time with you?"

The effect was instantaneous. Parfait flew at Ichigo, stopping just inches away from her. She shrieked in her face, "How DARE you talk about Kisshu! What happens with him has nothing to do with you!"

Ichigo felt, for the first time in a long time, a spark of true anger toward Parfait. Showing Ichigo her worst memories was bad enough, threatening her to give up Kisshu was even worse, and now Parfait wanted to criticize her transformation difficulties as well? Ichigo found the strength to shout back.

"That's only because nothing's been happening between you two!" Ichigo said. Before Ichigo could react, Parfait reached back and slapped her across the face. It was a direct hit. Ichigo went flying through the air, and then painfully crashed into the floor. Behind her, she heard someone scream.

"KISSHU! Kisshu, let go, you're hurting me-!"

Ichigo whirled around. Her breath caught.

Kisshu looked like a demon. His normally gold eyes were glowing white, his teeth were bared in a snarl, and he was holding Parfait up by the throat with one hand and pressing the tip of one of his Dragon Swords into her skin. His breathing sounded harsh.

"K-Kisshu!" Ichigo gasped. "She can't breathe!"

With one hand, Kisshu threw Parfait across the room, where she crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. Parfait tried to scramble to her feet. Kisshu rounded on her.

"Go," he hissed. Then he chucked his sword right at her head.

"NO!" Ichigo cried, her body instinctively leaping forward.

But Parfait teleported just in time. The sword clattered to the ground, clean and free of any of her blood or flesh. Ichigo went cautiously over to the sword, and picked it up. It felt odd in her hands. She could only imagine what amount of deadly power the weapon had, especially when Kisshu used it in battle.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo glanced up. Her heart gave a painful throb. The crazy, deranged white light had left his eyes, and they were golden and warm again. He seemed to have calmed down. Ichigo took a hesitant step toward him.

"Kisshu."

He asked, as if he couldn't help himself, "How are you doing, koneko-chan? Are you okay?"

Ichigo could have almost cried – despite everything, he still insisted on calling her by his pet name. She'd grown to love it when he said that – it felt familiar, and comfortable, and most of all, when Kisshu said, it his eyes went warm and seemed to melt into hers.

"Uh, h-hai," she stammered. "I'm okay. I still can't transform though." She couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. Kisshu frowned.

"You can't, neh? Why not?"

"I don't know." But Ichigo suspected it was a bit of a lie. She certainly had her suspicions. "I'm just…sorry that I won't be coming," she mumbled.

Before he could reply, Ichigo turned away and started to walk up the stairs. She wanted to hurry before she said something stupid – like that she loved him and everything she'd said had been a mistake. But before she'd taken more than a few steps, she felt an arm grab her waist from behind and pull her back.

Kisshu's arm wrapped tightly around her waist, and his other hand took her chin in his hands. "Don't be sorry, omae," he whispered into her ear. She felt her whole body quiver at the sound of his clever, light voice. It was a welcome reminder of his usual personality. She had missed it so much.

He turned her chin toward him, and brushed his lips over her cheek. "Bye bye, kitty-cat. See you later." He teleported out of the room, and Ichigo was alone, left with a feeling of emptiness beside her, and his words spinning in her mind.

**KisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexyKisshuissexxy**

**I'm going to try and hold out for a few extra days to generate more readers and reviews. If you wanna me to update sooner, find someone else who loves K and I pairing and get them to review the story! :) I will be putty in your hands! **

**Thanks for reading!**

***~Suki~***


	18. Chapter 18: Because I Am a Mew

**Guess what? UPDATE TIME!!! First off, since I don't have the option to reply personally, I'd like to say a special thanks to Angiejj, Suzu-koneko & Murasaki-chan, and Andrea for their lovely reviews! I hope that I managed to respond to everyone else who has an account, but if I forgot it's because I got swamped in all the reviews because I got A LOT - which, as you know, MEANS I CAVE IN AND POST A NEW CHAPTER EARLY!!! Yay for you, boo for me, because the faster I post the faster the story will be over! Waaaah!**

**Thank you everyone, and I hope this was worth the wait - this chapter is a longer one, so please enjoy the continuing saga of Kisshu and Ichigo! I apologize in advance if some parts of it are written kinda crappily - this chapter took a while to squeak out and some stuff sounds awkward. But overall it gets PRETTY INTENSE, so hope everyone enjoys the DRAMA and don't forget to let me know how it goes down for you! **

Chapter Eighteen: Because I Am a Mew

_"I can't do it. It's just too hard for me!"_

_"You have to save the Earth and everyone else! Your only chance is now! The only one who can do this is you, Ichigo!"_

"_But…"_

_"Ichigo! Believe in me."_

_Ichigo shuddered, and looked up. Masaya was smiling._

"_Believe. I'll be fine."_

_- Tokyo Mew Mew, Last Episode, Ichigo and Masaya_

Flying toward their destination, Kisshu wished that he had done more while he was alone with Ichigo. Then again, he had already been afraid that she would run away screaming from just that small touch – he probably would've gotten hit in the face for going any further.

The other thing that was bothering him was Parfait. He hated having to take her along, what with how she'd treated Ichigo, but he had brought Parfait with him specifically in case they needed to fight. And Pafait was one of the best.

But still…Kisshu had known that Parfait didn't like Ichigo, but he'd never dreamed that she would resort to cornering her in basements and antagonizing her like this. And he had warned her not to talk to Ichigo, hadn't he? Parfait could be sneaky, that's for sure. Who knew how many times she had done it before…

A sudden thought struck Kisshu. A very awful thought; what if Parfait had said something or done something to Ichigo, and that was why she didn't want to be around Kisshu anymore? Maybe it had been something that was meant to show Ichigo she wasn't good enough? That seemed to be a common theme with Parfait. She believed that most humans were scum, and since she particularly disliked Ichigo, then naturally Ichigo would be considered even more detestable in her eyes.

Parfait certainly seemed to have develop a preordained ferocity toward any girls who got near Kisshu. Kisshu had known for a long time that Parfait looked at him as more than just her leader, but up until now, he hadn't really cared what she thought. His thoughts had always been so focused on Ichigo, it hadn't really crossed his mind what Parfait was even thinking. He felt a little twinge of regret that he hadn't said something to her sooner. Maybe she had been hoping this whole time that something would change between them. And then to come here, and for him to look at Ichigo has if no time had passed…

But still – what she was doing was unforgivable. And it wasn't like Parfait was a naïve little girl trailing after him with a crush. She was downright ruthless, and Kisshu knew that this wasn't the first time she'd harassed another girl who got near him. Though she was much worse toward Ichigo than anyone else.

At this point, all he really wanted was to send Parfait back – for a moment, he'd actually wanted to cause her serious bodily harm. When he'd seen her there with his Ichigo, and he'd heard the things she was saying, he'd barely been able to stop himself from strangling her. He'd been incredibly surprised to hear Ichigo tell him to stop. At that point, Ichigo was the only one he would've listened to.

Abruptly, Kisshu realized where they were. It was the smell that assaulted him first. Below, on the ground, the Mews were running and he heard Mint complain loudly, "Ugh, that smells _terrible_."

"It makes sense that they'd be here," Zakuro said, huffing slightly. "I'm sure this place doesn't get a lot of visitors."

"Hmph…a landfill," Kisshu heard Parfait mumble. "Stuffing their extra garbage back into the ground…how disgusting."

Kisshu glared back at her, and she fell silent.

"Okay, guys," he said. "Split up into pairs and start looking around. Be on your guard."

"Alright!" Pudding cried, twirling her brown tail happily. "Come on, Taru!"

The four Mews had already transformed back at the Café, so that in their Mew forms they could cover the distance to the landfill faster. In her yellow dress and pointy brown ears, Kisshu saw that Tart followed Pudding without the slightest hesitation.

"Let's go this way," Tart said. Kisshu picked up on the difference in his voice – apparently, Tart's leadership was coming out. Although Pudding might have simply been Tart's friend, to everyone on Kisshu's home planet, Tart was a great military leader. Kisshu could testify to that – he'd seen Tart do some pretty impressive things in battle.

"Okay, Taru-Taru, come on!"

Tart let out a sigh, not even bothering to try and correct her. He'd given up on that pursuit a long time ago.

The rest of the Mews looked at each other. "Um," Lettuce began, "I can look by myse-"

"Come with me." Pai had flown down to her. Very lightly, he touched the small of her back, ushering her in another direction.

Lettuce let out a small gasp, which she quickly tried to hide. "Oh – right…okay…" She hurried away with him, while he followed close behind. Mint and Zakuro had but to exchange a glance to turn around and run simultaneously in the same direction.

Kisshu directed Crumb and Scone and Soda and Parfait to go together. Then, he took off in another direction on his own. The only person he would've taken with him wasn't there.

The smell was terrible. Kisshu saw that the place was a combination of a landfill, dump, and junkyard. There were huge mounds of trash piled up like sand dunes as far as the eye could see. He had to admit, this Earth place was rather disgusting sometimes. He home planet was a thousand times more clean and beautiful. It reminded him of what Earth must've been like before the humans started digging up the ground and polluting the sky.

Suddenly, Kisshu heard a low rumble. He stopped short, and swiftly drew his swords. He looked around cautiously, all his senses alert. A large mound of garbage lay beneath him, stinking with the smell of temperate rot.

Then, something huge burst out of the ground, right in front of Kisshu's face. Kisshu backed away just in time. When he saw the familiar reptilian scales and long white hair, he felt a growl rise in his throat. He shouted:

"And I was beginning to think you didn't have fun last time! Nice of you to show up again."

Mahng snarled, and said in a low, throaty voice, "You killed Zohn."

"Uh, yeah, a few weeks ago, actually," Kisshu said dryly. "Try to keep up with the times."

Mahng let out another growl. Then, to Kisshu's surprise, his thick, cracked lips curled into a menacing grin. "I brought reinforcements this time. You won't escape."

Sure enough, just as Kisshu was about to wonder where they were, four more of the reptilian aliens sprang up out of the garbage and surrounded him. Kisshu glanced from side to side. They all looked the same to him, he could hardly tell them apart.

His lips twitched into a wicked grin. "Heh. Some hideout you've got here. I was expecting you chums to go camp out in a cemetery. All those dead body parts to use and everything."

"The victims need to be fresh," one of them said, his voice a slithering rasp, "for us to make use of them. Like your fresh blood, for example, which led us here to your precious Mews."

Kisshu managed to stay carefully relaxed. "Yeah, and you've been real busy with that, haven't you? What, you've been here a whole month already, and you've only attacked us once? And then you bring five guys just to take me down? I'm flattered," he added, his fangs glinting.

Mahng's face contorted into a mask of rage. "Why, you-!"

"Stop. Leave him."

Kisshu saw someone behind Mahng. Grumbling, Mahng floated to the side. When Kisshu saw who was behind him, he had to hold back from cursing out loud.

It was their leader. Kisshu should have suspected that the enemy would also bring the best of the best, as he had. But Bragah was legendary, even off of his own planet. Kisshu had fought him three times before, and each time, he had been hurt. Though the degree to which he was wounded varied from time to time. Now, Kisshu wasn't sure how he would fare.

Yet he remained confident in his abilities. He'd beaten Bragah before, even though he'd had to fight through an injury. And at this point, the enemy might or might not know that Kisshu had his friends with him. For the moment, he thought the best options would be to stall for time. Both Pai and Tart had a strange instinct when it came to sensing trouble – actually, it was something all three of them possessed. It came in useful when they had to split up on a mission.

Bragah approached him slowly. He was massive – at least seven and a half feet tall, with ash-blonde hair tapering down to below his knees. His face was partially ruined by a scar he'd acquired in a previous battle, one in which Kisshu had not been a part of. Kisshu only wished he had been the one to give that significant blow.

Bragah looked the much smaller Kisshu with disdain. "You came alone? Again? When you fought Mahgn and Zohn last time, you very nearly didn't make it out alive."

Kisshu said slyly, "Well, what can I say – I just couldn't wait to come back for more. You guys are so much fun."

Bragah, Kisshu noted, still hadn't developed a sense of humor. Snarling, he took out his sword. Kisshu had seen the enemy's swords before, but he still had to resist the urge to gag. The hilt wasn't merely a metal handle attached to the blade; instead, it was some poor, dead victim's hand, with the metal blade imbedded in the flesh of the wrist. Holding one of those swords was like shaking hands with a corpse. It made Kisshu cringe just looking at it.

Bragah growled, "I will have the first swing. Then you all may do as you wish." Bragah raised his arm, preparing to strike. "You will never see home again," he said loudly. "I will destroy-"

_THONK_!

Bragah let out a roar as a set of spinning metal click-clacks nearly gave him a concussion. Tart whooped triumphantly.

"Get him, Kisshu!" he shouted, retrieving his weapon. Kisshu wasted no time in reacting – he dove at Bragah. With a roar of rage, Mahng leaped to defend his leader.

Before they could reach each other, a power blast of water-based energy knocked Mahng out of the way. Kisshu glanced over to see Lettuce and Pai hurrying toward him. Lettuce's hand was stretched out toward Mahng, directing her attack at his body. The other three pairs followed close behind. With roars and snarls, the group of reptiles quickly disentigrated, as each took on one of the pairs, leaving Kisshu alone with Bragah.

Bragah glanced around, his red eyes dilated furiously. "You brought friends," he growled.

Kisshu said slyly, "Sure did – but I'm going to take you down personally." Kisshu dove at Bragah, who lifted his grotesque sword to block the blow just in time. Then, they were off and fighting, and chaos had broken out on all fronts.

Soda had been knocked to the ground, and Parfait was using a long, lethal dagger to fight the opponent. Even in battle, she moved gracefully, as if she were dancing and her attacks were timed to some kind of beat. As much as Kisshu hated how Parfait was acting, he was grateful that he'd brought her along. Beside her, Crumb and Scone were each using weapons resembling crossbows.

Kisshu, when he had a moment of pause, glanced over to see that no one on his side was hurt. Pudding and Tart were tag-teaming one of the enemy aliens, bouncing in turns on his head like he was a toy they were playing with. Kisshu could actually hear Pudding giggling, and Tart yelled at her to pay attention. Nearby, Mint was aiming her arrow at another enemy alien, who had been knocked over by Zakuro's powerful whip. And close to them, Lettuce and Pai were working together – Pai was blocking the oncoming energy attacks from the enemy's sword, and Lettuce was sending out more of her water blasts.

Kisshu wished that Ichigo was with them as well. Not because he wanted her in danger, but because he knew how horrible she felt, being the leader of the Mews and not being able to do anything. If she could be here now, fighting with full Mew Power, he was sure that she would be amazing. If she were here, by his side-

"Aaarrrgghh!" Kisshu backed away from Bragah, his chest dripping blood. _Damn it, I got distracted again_, he thought angrily. _Why does this always happen?_

"Pay attention," Bragah snarled. "I want you to look me in the face when I kill you."

Kisshu grimaced. This was a bad wound – it hurt so much he could hardly move. Damn it all, why had he stopped paying attention? If only Ichigo was here, he wouldn't have been thinking so much about her. He would've had her right here, fighting by his side, able to protect her at a moment's notice.

Now his side was growing wet fast. Lettuce let out a scream.

"Kisshu-san!"

Bragah lunged at him. Kisshu brought his sword up at the last instant, plunging it deep into Bragah's stomach.

Bragah's momentum carried him over Kisshu, and both of them collapsed onto the mounds of garbage. Cursing and snarling, Bragah ripped the sword from his stomach and chucked it to the side. Kisshu was grimly pleased to see that he had delivered quite a blow. Bragah would have to make a judgment call to either risk death by bleeding, or retreat now and save the killing for a second encounter.

Apparently, he wasn't in the mood to die. "R-retreat!" Bragah roared. "We'll defeat them next time!" As Kisshu glanced out, he was pleased to see that his side had been winning anyway – most of the reptiles had been beaten to the ground. At the command of their leader, they all turned tail and plunged down into the huge mountains of garbage, burrowing through the mess like moles swimming though dirt.

"Hey, I'm not finished with you yet!" Tart yelled, "Get back here, I'll-"

"It's okay, Taru!" Pudding said, grabbing him to keep him from following. "You're hurt! And so is Kish-kun!"

"Neh?" Tart looked over at Kisshu. His face paled. "Kish!" he hurried over to his friend, Pai right beside him.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Kisshu said, trying vaguely to brush them away. He could already feel himself losing too much blood.

"Kish, come on, gimme your arm-"

"Don't be foolish, you're losing consciousness-"

"Get off, I'm okay!" Kisshu stumbled to his feet and haphazardly floated up into the sky. Parfait streaked up to him, her face aghast.

"Kisshu, your bleeding everywhere, let me help-!"

"You stay away!" Kisshu snapped. Parfait looked ready to either slap him or cry.

"Kisshu-!"

"Leave me alone!" With that, Kisshu zoomed upward in an uneven line, sprinkling blood onto the ground. Once he was high enough, where the air was thinner, he teleported. He wanted to be the first one back. He didn't want their help. He just wanted to go and see Ichigo. Maybe, if he was lucky, she would be there waiting for him again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ichigo was sitting on the sidewalk outside the Café, waiting for her friends to return. She felt stupid doing so, but would've felt even worse if she'd left and gone home. At the very least, if she couldn't fight, she could stick around to hear how things went without her.

It was a good thing Ichigo was sitting right outside the Cafe, or she never would've seen Kisshu appear, at least a hundred feet up the air. As it was, she caught sight of a small, dark speck framed against the sky. Just as she realized who it was, he began to plummet to the ground at breakneck speed.

"NO!" Ichigo sprang to her feet and sprinted toward the falling shape. It was coming down fast – Ichigo didn't know if she'd be able to break his fall – she needed to run faster…she wasn't going to make it on speed alone…

"KISSHU!" With a leap that defied gravity, Ichigo catapulted herself into the air, all strength and agility and grace, and tore Kisshu out of the sky. She wrapped her arms around him as she fell back down. Hurling through the air, she grabbed him tighter and yelled in his ear, "Sorry, this is going to hurt-!"

Ichigo's feet touched the ground first. Then, before she could regain her balance, Kisshu's weight slammed into her and they both fell down onto the grass in a heap. Ichigo could hardly breathe, but Kisshu looked even worse. Ichigo realized, her heart faltering, that he was bloody and unusually still.

"Kisshu!" Quickly, she squirmed out from underneath him and turned him face up. His eyes were only half-open. He didn't look like he was fully aware of what was happening.

She heard his low laugh. "Good catch, koneko-chan." What she could see of his eyes looked muddled, like liquid gold. "Looks like you're still a cat after all, neh?"

"Kisshu…" Ichigo realized, with a thrill of horror, that he was dying. She tried to muffle a scream. "Oh no…" she turned behind her and shrieked, "Shirogane-san! Keiichiro-san! HELP!"

The two men burst out of the Café immediately, hurrying toward her voice. Kisshu let out a groan.

"Ahh, can't I stay here with just you?"

"Not when you're dying!"

"But I wanna…" He tried to touch her face again, but this time he was too weak.

"Kisshu, don't say anything, okay? Okay?" Ichigo was on the verge of panic. No, he couldn't die. Please, he couldn't die, not when things were like this between them…not when he was still so hurt by what she'd said, when there were so many misunderstandings, when there was a lie that she didn't know how to fix...

Ryou and Keiichiro both grabbed Kisshu and swiftly began to carry him away. Ichigo hurried after them, her cloths stained with his blood. Kisshu's head lolled.

"Stay with me, omae…"

"I'm here, I'm right here!"

"Ichigo, stay here and make sure everyone else gets back safely!" Ryou commanded. When Ichigo started to protest, Ryou said, "I don't want you seeing this. It'll be messy, and there's nothing you can do. Just stay here and make sure no one else is hurt."

Ichigo stopped, unwilling and afraid. Keiichiro tried to give her a look of encouragement. "He'll be fine, we'll take care of it," he called as the three of them disappeared into the Café. Ichigo was sure they were taking him down to the basement. It made sense that they would have a stock of medical supplies down there. Ichigo only prayed that they would work on Kisshu's alien body.

Ichigo waited helplessly outside. She didn't have to for long. Soon, she saw Tart appear in the sky, not nearly as high up, clutching Pudding around the waist so she wouldn't fall. To Ichigo's relief, Pudding looked unharmed.

"Is Kish okay?" Tart called down to Ichigo, setting Pudding on the ground.

Ichigo shook her head. "I don't know." Tart darted around her and into the Café.

Close behind, Pai followed with Lettuce. Ichigo noticed how that he had also teleported with her – one arm was circled around her. He guided her to the ground, said quietly, "I shall return" and left to follow Tart into the basement. Ichigo scanned the sky for the rest of the aliens, Zakuro, and Mint.

To her immense relief, the rest of them appeared within moments. None of them looked particularly harmed, at least not nearly as bad as Kisshu. Everyone certainly looked the worse for wear, Mint had a long cut on one arm and Tart a severely blackened eye, but none of them were bleeding to death, at least.

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief. But her heartbeat couldn't have pounded any faster – she felt so edgy and anxious. She wanted to go downstairs to see Kisshu, and yet she was afraid to. Ryou had said that it would be messy. Were they doing some kind of surgery? Stitches? An operation?

"Come on, guys," Ichigo said, addressing the group. "Let's go inside."

"I hope Kisshu-san is all right," Lettuce said worriedly as she passed by. Ichigo couldn't agree more.

Parfait didn't even bother to snap at her as she passed. Ichigo supposed she was too worried about Kisshu to think about her normal antagonistic habits.

During the next hour, most of the group took turns cleaning up, while Ichigo sat downstairs by herself, waiting for news. She felt an incredible sense of déjà vu; hadn't it been this same table that she'd sat at before, waiting for Kisshu to come back from an unfair fight, not even knowing if he was still alive?

Finally, after Ichigo debated whether or not she should just go down herself, Tart emerged from the basement. Shoulders slumped, he looked close to utter exhaustion.

"He's fine now," Tart muttered. "Sleeping. You can go down if you want." He turned away and floated sluggishly up the stairs, muttering something like, "Gotta go find Pudding-chan." Ichigo barely heard him and she hurried down into the basement.

Passing through the darkened main control room, Ichigo saw a door open on the left wall, softly lit from inside. She walked in, and saw that there was indeed a medical unit, with shelves of hospital equipment and a bed in the center of the room. It was in the white, sterile bed that Ichigo saw Kisshu, sleeping peacefully, a blanket covering his chest. Ichigo was secretly glad she couldn't see what must've been a gaping wound covered in stitches.

Pai was standing alone next to the bed, watching his friend closely to make sure he was still breathing. He glanced up at Ichigo when she approached.

"We stopped the bleeding in time," he informed her. "Now he only needs to recover."

"That's good," Ichigo said fervently. She felt her words didn't do the relief she felt justice. Pai turned to face her head on, scrutinizing her carefully. Ichigo was uncomfortably reminded of how Ryou looked at her. "What?"

Pai said, "You need to tell him the truth."

Ichigo's eyes went wide. Did he know? About Parfait? How could he know? "What are you-?"

"I do not know what has happened," Pai said tonelessly, "but I understand that you are grieving, and so is he. I also know that you blame yourself for the Earth boy's death. Aoyama."

Ichigo gulped, and looked down at the ground. "Hai…I…I loved him very much."

"Do you still?"

Slowly, Ichigo shook her head. She couldn't look Pai in the face, but she somehow felt safer telling him than she had with anyone else – except maybe Lettuce. Right now, he was looking at her with such intensity, that she could see how much he cared about his friend. His friend, who had almost died, still thinking that Ichigo loved a boy who had been dead for two years…

"I…I…" Ichigo swallowed and bravely said, "I...love…Kisshu. Not Aoyama. But I lied to Kisshu-" she went on "-because I realized that I've treated him so badly, and I'm afraid that somehow he's going to die and it's going to be all my fault again and I won't be able to help him-"

"Stop." Ichigo flinched, finally looking up at Pai. His expression was deadly serious.

"You should know…you are the only one laboring under the dillusion that you're responsible for Aoyama's death."

Ichigo blinked.

"Everyone else in the Final Battle, including Kisshu, blames Deep Blue for killing the Earth boy. Not you, Ichigo-san. No one has ever blamed you."

Ichigo stared at Pai, the meaning of his words washing over her. Pai continued.

"And Kisshu does not believe that you treated him cruelly – he thinks that _he _treated_ you_ cruelly."

"What?"

Pai raised an eyebrow. "We _were_ trying to kill you," he pointed out.

Ichigo was still amazed. "But I – I said such horrible things to him…and all that time, he was trying to save me-"

"Don't pretend that Kisshu was so noble," Pai interjected. "He was acting selfishly. He wanted you to love him, and he was jealous of Aoyama. Yes, he was trying to save you, but only under the condition that you would be his." Pai glanced over at his unconscious friend.

"Perhaps," he said quietly, "individuals such as Parfait tend to glamorize him more than necessary."

Ichigo couldn't stifle a gasp. So he did know? Had she told Pai what she'd done? Pai took in Ichigo's horrified expression.

"I am sure that it had occurred to Kisshu as well as I what has happened. Parfait had been speaking to you. Threatening you as well, I would guess."

Ichigo wasn't sure what he was saying. Had Parfait…done this to another girl before Ichigo? "Are you saying…that Parfait has-?"

"Jealously guarded Kisshu and told other prospects to stay away? Hai," Pai answered. "But this situation is different – Kisshu loves you much more than he has anyone else. Which leads me to believe that she did more to you than she normally would."

Slowly, Ichigo thought through what Pai was saying. So Parfait didn't like any girls that were around Kisshu? No wonder she'd hated Ichigo from the start – Kisshu had never kept it a secret how much he liked Ichigo. She might've even known about the blood imprints before they left their planet and came to Earth. Of course she would have come bearing a grudge against Ichigo from the beginning.

Slowly, it was all starting to make sense. Parfait had played off of Ichigo's guilt and insecurities to make her believe that she wasn't good enough for Kisshu. But wait – Ichigo's mind was racing – hadn't the Mews been the ones to defeat Deep Blue and save their planet? Hadn't Kisshu, Tart, and Pai brought back the Mew Aqua and saved theirs? How could Parfait say Ichigo was any less than Kisshu when both he and Ichigo had made such huge sacrifices for the good of their race? Kisshu had given his life to save Ichigo – despite being resurrected, the act remained a sacrifice – and Ichigo had lost Aoyama. Both of them had suffered tremendous losses.

Parfait had thought that if she verified Ichigo's belief that she'd killed Aoyama, then Ichigo wouldn't want to "put Kisshu in danger" by being an active member of the Tokyo Mew Mews. But no one had blamed Ichigo for Masaya's death – no one, except Ichigo herself. But even Masaya himself, in spirit form, had told Ichigo that it was okay. Even Masaya was ready to make a sacrifice for Earth.

_Well, if anyone cared about the Earth enough to die for it, it was Aoyama-kun_, Ichigo thought, tears falling from her eyes. _That was his sacrifice. We all fought so hard to save this planet, and all this time I've felt that I did something wrong. But it was what Aoyama-kun wanted. _

_I loved him so much…why would I have let Deep Blue go, and destroy the Earth that Aoyama-kun cared so deeply about? So I had to give him up in the process…there was nothing else I could've done. _

_And I did restore the Earth…when I tried to save Aoyama-kun, the power of the Mews renewed Tokyo. It made the flowers grow again. It brought Kisshu back to life…_

Ichigo suddenly said, "I think I've been listening to the wrong person this whole time."

Pai nodded. "It would appear that way."

Ichigo looked at him suspiciously – it had almost sounded like he was making a joke. She continued, gaining momentum and a sudden strength as she spoke, "What Aoyama-kun wanted most in the world was for the Earth to be saved. And I did that. I did it for him because I loved him. And when Kisshu came back to life," she said passionately, her tears flowing freely down her face, "and he looked at me like all he wanted to do was comfort me, I never stopped to think about how thankful I was that someone I loved was still alive!"

Pai was looking at her as if watching a beautiful sunrise – with equal measures of wonder and peace. "Hai," he agreed, his voice filled with warmth. "Ichigo-san…you have always been the leader of the Mews…and you have always been strong. Will you give that up now, when Earth needs you once more?"

"No. No, I won't, Pai," Ichigo said tremulously. Her body was emitting a strange, ethereal glow. "I won't give up…I won't lose…because…because I love this Earth," she cried joyfully as her brilliance filled the room, "and I love Kisshu, and because…I…am…A MEW!"

Ichigo exploded with blue light, flooding the room in a radiant glow that forced Pai to shield his eyes. Squinting, he saw Ichigo's body morphing and changing, pulsating with light and power, the force of the energy swirling around her like wind. She spun, twirled, her pink dress blooming onto her body, her red gloves and jewels and ruffles sparkling as they appeared once more. Her long, curling black tail sprang from her skirt, complete with a bright red bow and the chiming golden bell. Her long boots snaked up her legs, and her hair flushed bright pink while her small black ears sprouted up like annual flowers blooming again. And on her face, there was a smile so beautiful that it filled the room with its warmth and joy.

Her beautiful bright eyes went to Kisshu as she floated back down to the ground. She hurried over to him and bent over the bedside, her face aglow with happiness.

"Kisshu-kun," she whispered in delight. "I'm so glad that you're all right! I'm so glad that you came back to me. Kisshu-kun," she said, reaching out a gloved hand and placing it on his cheek, "You don't have to wait anymore. I'm finally here, and this time, if I have to fight to make sure I belong to you, then I will." She bent down and pressed her lips against his forehead. "I'll always be here by your side." She turned around to look at Pai.

Pai was smiling; smiling like he did when he'd realized, two years ago, what was important and what he should've been fighting for all along; smiling like he did when he saw his planet restored to a world of unimaginable beauty; smiling like he did when he sat on the rooftop, by himself, and read the words that Lettuce had written just for him. He had just seen the leader of the Mews returned ten-fold to her former glory…and he wasn't the only one.

Standing in the doorway, Ryou and Keiichiro had witnessed the incredible transformation. Keiichiro was wiping his eyes with his hands, and Ryou's face was filled with pride. Finally, the Mews had their leader, and they were complete again. Ichigo saw them standing there and her heart felt ready to burst with happiness.

"Shirogane-san! Keiichiro-san!"

"Well done, Ichigo." Ryou had never looked more at peace. "Looks like Mew Ichigo is back for good."

Ichigo placed a hand on Kisshu's head – her fingers twined in his hair – and said, "And this time, I'm not running away. I'm ready to fight for what I love again. For the future of Earth," she proclaimed, "I promise, I will be of service, nya!"

**THERE YOU HAVE IT! Mew Ichigo is born again!**

**Take care,**

***~Suki~* **


	19. Chapter 19: If Someone Is Yours

**Hello, Everyone! The next chapter has officially arrived! First off, to my readers who don't have accounts: Murasaki-chan: thank you for your sweet words of encouragement! Suzu-Koneko: you can call me whatever you like, though you are right about me being older - I'm 18 and a freshmen in college. LoveBird: yeah, it took a while to get to the action, but from here on out it's ALL ACTION! WOOT WOOT!**

**Please read my note at the end of the Chapter and respond to in a review.**

**BTW: I remember one of you asked what "omae" means; in the context of a man speaking to his wife or girlfriend, it means "sweet heart." Aww!**

Chapter Nineteen: If Someone Is Yours

_wishing to fall in love,_

_i pop a strawberry_

_into my mouth_

_- koi shita ya ichigo hito-tsubu kuchi ni ire, Masajo, 1961_

Kisshu floated in and out of consciousness. He sometimes heard voices, but recognized none of them. Foggy images danced in front of his eyes, but he could never make them out. He saw pink. He saw red. He felt something warm on his cheek. There was a hand smoothing down his hair. There was a sweet voice in his ear…

_I'll always…by your side._

_What?_ Kisshu supposed his brain was broken – or maybe he was having hallucinations. There was no way that sweet voice could be saying something like that. Put that way, it almost sounded like she wanted to stay with him, and that couldn't possibly be true. Maybe he was dead…that wasn't so unlikely…he had gotten hurt, after all…he didn't remember much after he'd teleported out of the landfill…

Except…except…_Ichigo._

Kisshu opened his eyes. He blinked. Staring upward, it took him a few moments to resign to the fact that he must be dead. Because there was no way that what he was seeing could be real. No way that this could be anything other than some sort of paradise.

Ichigo's eyes, sparkling like sugar dusted over pink satin, were looking straight into his eyes as if trying to fill him with light. Kisshu tried hard to focus. Her expression was so warm, so comforting, so _happy_…

_Yup – definetly dead. There's no way Ichigo would look at me that way. Her eyes…it's as if they're saying they…they…_

"I…Ichi...go?" Kisshu said. His voice went no higher than a hoarse whisper. But the vision responded immedietly.

"Kisshu, you're awake!"

She reached out and placed a gloved hand against his cheek, cupping his face in her palm. Her black cat ears twitching, she leaned over so that she could stroke his hair with her other hand. Kisshu's eyes hungrily took in every inch of her he could see – her pink dress, her smooth skin, her beautiful face.

He wasted no time in admiring the vision. He reached for her face, his arm excruciatingly heavy. "Beautiful…" he whispered. His fingers rested on her cheek, and she reached up to over his hand with hers. She smiled – he felt as if he were being washed away into a sea, with nothing but the glow of the melting sun sustaining him as he floated away. He didn't dare blink, for fear the vision would disappear.

"So," he said, trying to make conversation with his goddess, "you finally found a way back, koneko-chan?" His voice still sounded strange – like he was underwater.

Another smile. "Hai, Kisshu-kun. I'm back as Mew Ichigo. It was you that helped me remember how. I could only do it because…well, because…" The angel blushed with pleasure, and said happily, "…because I love you."

The beautiful face watched him as he stared. "I love you, Kisshu-kun."

"Ichigo…"

His sight was fading. His brain couldn't understand what she was saying. He tried his best to hold on.

"Ichigo," he said desprately, "Ichigo, don't go-"

"I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here when you wake up."

"No you won't," Kisshu moaned. "You're just a dream, koneko-chan. The best…the only one I've ever..."

Even though his vision was going black, Kisshu heard a light, happy laugh. "You'll see, Kisshu-kun. Go back to sleep for now. I'll stay right here with you."

"But…" Kisshu couldn't focus. It was too much. As much as he tried desprately to cling to the dream, he felt himself sliding helplessly into oblivion once more. Within moments, he had completely lost conciousness.

-----------------------

Ichigo was smiling down at Kisshu affectionately as he fell asleep again. Most of what he'd said hadn't made much sense – she guessed he was still pretty out of it. But it had been unbearably sweet when he'd touched her face and called her "beautiful", and when he'd mistaken her for just a dream.

Sighing, she got up from the chair parked by his bedside, deciding to get a glass of water in case he woke up thirsty. She paused to smooth out her pink dress, looking fondly at Kisshu again.

"You. Get out."

Ichigo stiffened – she could practically feel her fur bristling, had she been in cat form. She knew that voice. She'd heard it so many times now she could recognize it anywhere. Slowly, she turned around.

Parfait was standing just outside the doorway. She had cleaned up and changed hours ago – it had been a while since they'd returned and Kisshu had been stabilized – and was returned to her normal stunning self. Her long, silky hair was pulled into its usual assortment of three ponytails, and her figure-flattering uniform was clean and stain-free. Her beautiful golden eyes were cold with dislike. They didn't fail to notice Ichigo's Mew form.

Ichigo stared back. She could feel the difference in her this time – the Mew power was coursing through her, strong and confident. More than that, she had no more questions about how she felt about Kisshu – or how he felt about her. It gave her the courage to look Parfait directly in the face. She had never felt so sure of herself in Parfait's presence before.

Parfait, it seemed, noticed the change. Ichigo could tell by her expression that she sensed Ichigo was different. Her eyes narrowed and she repeated harshly, "Get away from him. Haven't you caused enough trouble?"

Ichigo's eyes grew flinty, like diamonds. "How about we talk first?"

Parfait sneered. " 'Talk?' " she spat. "About what? How a disgusting human like you thinks she can belong to Kisshu just because you remembered how to use your own freakish, mutated DNA?"

Ichigo felt a fire rear up inside her. Her face flushed red. But she didn't want to disturb Kisshu. More than that, something Parfait had just said that her had sparked her interest. She was sure she'd heard it before. Quickly, she walked toward Parfait – Parfait took a haunty step back, as if she was afraid of being contaminated – and stepped out of the room, closing the door soundly behind her.

"Okay." Ichigo tried to restrain herself from sounding too rude too fast. "So I have a question."

Parfait waited coldly for Ichigo to continue.

"You and Kisshu have both said things about me 'belonging' to him. Or, he's said that I'm 'his.' What does that mean, exactly?"

Parfait stared. "Is there something wrong with your brain?" she asked incredulously. Her voice sounded almost acidic.

"It sounds strange when you say it on Earth," Ichigo explained. She was barely resisting the urge to blast Parfait with her Strawberry Bell. Though granted, her aim would probably be terrible at this point. She hadn't used it in so long. But the fact that she was confident enough to act anyway felt wonderful. She added, "I just figured, you guys have both said it, so it must mean something else besides just being boyfriend and girlfriend."

Parfait eyed her critically. Ichigo supposed that Parfait really was wondering if she had brain damage. Crossing her arms in front of her, Parfait said in an icy voice, "It's a term for sharing souls – as in, the human concept of soul mates, except deeper. When you say someone _belongs _to you-" Parfait continued, "-it means that you are choosing to share your heart and soul with them. In other words, if someone is _yours_, then that means they are the one you have chosen to share the deepest part of yourself with. The decision cannot be undone."

Parfait paused for a moment, and then added, as if against her will, "It is a choice that is only made once. Once you have chosen who is yours, it is nearly impossible to change. There can be no replacement."

Ichigo felt her pulse thudding in her ears. Her limbs were frozen. Her face held nothing but shock. She couldn't speak. She could barely think.

_Maybe someday I'll be yours in the same way that you are mine._

He'd said that to her…two years ago, after the Final Battle…and then, just a few weeks ago, in her room that night…

_But you're mine, Ichigo! You're mine!_

Her thoughts weren't making sense. She couldn't form a coherent idea. The memories were washing over her. Had he been saying….had he really…did he…?

_He…he wants to share his SOUL with me?_

Ichigo could barely breathe. Parfait made a noise of disgust, and tossed her long hair.

"Of course, there are exceptions to every absolute."

Ichigo's frantic mind ground to a halt. Her head whipped up as she looked at Parfait. "What do you mean?"

Parfait sneered. "I mean, there's no way he could choose _you_ to be his. A mere human. It's just some temporary, distorted obsession of his." She half-turned away, a short laugh escaping her lips. "He will grow out of it. I am certain of that."

"What makes you say that?" Ichigo asked angrily. "Ever after two years-"

"Two years is nothing," Parfait spat. Ichigo saw her eyes flash. "Not compared to what he and I share."

Ichigo was caught completely off guard. What they shared? It sounded like Kisshu and Parfait had some kind of…history. Ichigo went cold at the thought. Was Parfait more than just one of Kisshu's warriors?

Ichigo asked, "What…w-what do you mean?"

Parfait shot her a dark look. "I don't need to answer to you."

Ichigo glared at her, her hands on her hips. "Well, whatever has happened between you and Kisshu, it's in the past, isn't it? So why does it matter now?"

"Because you don't deserve him," Parfait hissed. "You don't know him like I do."

"How so?"

"I told you, it's none of your business!" Parfait took a sudden, menacing step forward. Ichigo was almost frightened by the amount of hate she saw in her eyes. "You don't even deserve to occupy the same _space_ as Kisshu! After the way you treated him-"

"-back when he was setting Cimera Animals on our butts all the time?" Ichigo demanded. "What was I supposed to do? So I was rude and I blasted him a couple times with my Strawberry Bell – like he didn't try to harass me every chance he got." Ichigo almost wanted to smile at the memory. He'd always had this little smirk on his face, like he enjoyed watching her when she was angry or fighting. "More importantly though, even though he wouldn't ever give up on me, he understood that I was staying because I couldn't leave Earth. I had to stay and protect my planet."

"You mean you had to protect your precious _Aoyama-kun_," Parfait sneered.

Ichigo clenched her teeth angrily. "Don't you _dare_ call him that!" she said, her voice almost shaking with fury. "And yes, I wanted that too, and Kisshu knew that! It really hurt him that I loved Aoyama-kun and not him, but he deep down he understood why I was doing what I was, even if he didn't agree with it!"

Parfait was getting more and more agitated – she was realizing that Ichigo wasn't going to just run away crying this time. Ichigo felt another surge of confidence and power. "And it was because he loved me," Ichigo said, her voice almost bursting with happiness at the thought, "that he tried to save me. And it's because he loves me _now _that he's come back to Earth. And it's because _I love him_ that I'm telling you-" Ichigo dramatically pointed her index finger right in front of Parfait's face "-to stop bothering me and to stop trying to make him like you!"

"SHUT UP, YOU BAKA!" Parfait lunged at Ichigo, who leaped up into the air just in time to avoid getting punched in the stomach. Somersaulting over Parfait's back, she landed behind her and immedietly took a defensive position.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

Parfait was burning with rage. "I'm going to DESTROY you!" she screamed, lunging again. Ichigo dodged again, but not before Parfait's long nails dug into her boot and tore away some of the leather.

"Hey!" Ichigo landed and examined her tall, red boot unhappily. "Careful with those! These boots are really cute!"

"No more games," Parfait hissed. She leaped again. Ichigo dove out of the way, but this time Parfait grabbed her tail and yanked hard. Ichigo was pulled back, and Parfait jumped on top of her and wrapped her arms around her. Ichigo was momentarily confused, until she felt the gravity shift of teleportation.

In the next instant, Ichigo felt her stomach drop. They were at least fifty feet up in the air, outside of Café Mew Mew, and Parfait was trying to thrust Ichigo away from her so she fell all fifty feet to the ground. Ichigo thought maybe she could land on her feet, but she didn't want to test the theory.

Both of them were scratching and clawing at each other. Parfait was pushing Ichigo away, and Ichigo was clinging hard to Parfait's waist. Ichigo almost let go when Parfait kneed her in the chin, but then she reached up and punched Parfait in the stomach, making her gasp. Ichigo swiped at her lip, which she'd cut on her teeth.

She let out a yell when Parfait grabbed her roughly by the hair. "Do you actually think," Parfait said menacingly, "that you can beat me?"

"You'd better believe it!" Ichigo's elbow found her collarbone and jammed it hard. Parfait's grip on her hair dropped, and Ichigo felt herself slip. She tried to squeeze Parfait's waist tighter, and a breeze that would've felt a lot warmer on the ground swept around them, making her shiver.

Parfait was squirming around now, pushing down on Ichigo's shoulders. "Well, then you're even more stupid than I suspected," she snapped. This time, she yanked Ichigo by her collar, and Ichigo instinctively brought her hands up to stop herself from choking. With a hard kick to her ribs, Parfait flung Ichigo away from her. Ichigo fell with a scream.

Even though she might land on her feet, the cold wind whipping past her was spinning her body around and she wasn't sure if her cat instincts were all back yet. As she plummeted, she thought of the only thing she could. "Strawberry Bell!" she cried, summoning her weapon from the air. As she snatched the familiar heart-shaped object, she felt the power thrumming through it like an electric current. It was comforting. She listened to it. It was telling her what to do.

The ground was rushing up to meet her. Squealing and closing her eyes, Ichigo held the Strawberry Bell in both hands, out in front of her toward the ground. Concentrating all her power, she summoned up the energy to stop her fall. Suddenly, a blast shot out of the Strawberry Bell, creating a kind of pink, airy force field that cushioned her as she fell. She bounced gently off of it, as if it were a cushion.

She heard Parfait scream. "NO!" Ichigo whirled around. Then her arms shot up to block Parfait's attack just in time.

Parfait was holding something in her hand. It looked like an abnormally long knife. Or even a dagger. Ichigo had never seen one of those before. It looked positively lethal, and she was sure Parfait was trying her hardest to break through the Strawberry Bell shield to stab her with it. She was straining at the force field, trying to fly through it, her dagger clenched tight in her fist.

"You-don't-deserve-him!" Parfait gasped as she pushed harder. Ichigo was almost frightened by her expression. "You're just a human! Damn you, pathetic human-" she cried, "He's mine, _Kisshu's mine!_"

It hit Ichigo what Parfait meant. Her concentration slipped. Parfait dove through.

"Ahh!" Ichigo cried out as Parfait flew past her, the dagger cutting into Ichigo's arm as she passed. Ichigo's knees buckled, and her hand flew to grab her arm.

But still she managed to say, "You...you missed." She smiled to herself a little. That was something Kisshu probably would have said. She wondered if he would've been impressed that her old skill had returned to her so quickly. She was impressed enough that he was a leader of the army on his home planet. She was sure he must be exceptionally good by now…maybe even good enough to beat her? She felt warm and happy at the idea of him protecting her, being her hero…

But she couldn't dwell on the idea. She had to get up. She had to focus. She got back up just in time to see Parfait wheeling around in the air, flying toward her with the intention of stabbing her through the chest. Again, Ichigo blocked her just in time, but this time her barrier was weaker. Her arm hurt, and she was struggling more to pour out her power. Maybe she wasn't up to her old level of skill. Or maybe she hadn't been in a battle this hard by herself before. In any case, her arm was stinging badly, and she clenched the back of her jaw and tried her best to keep her feet steady.

"Ichigo! ICHIGO!"

Ichigo saw Pudding hurtling out of the Café at full speed, a little yellow blur racing toward the battling pair. Ichigo wanted to shout at her to stay away, because this was just between Parfait and Ichigo…but then Parfait suddenly vaulted away, teleporting to disappearance in an instant. Ichigo was caught off guard. Had she just bailed out on their fight?

Ichigo dropped her barrier, panting, her arms aching from both the power and the wound. "Ichigo!" Ichigo looked up as Pudding hurried toward her. "Ichigo, are you okay? Where did-?"

Just as Pudding was about to reach Ichigo, Parfait appeared like a phantom behind her and drove the dagger into Pudding's back.

"No, NO, PUDDING!" Ichigo screamed. "PUDDING!"

Pudding let out a shriek of pain, her voice reaching a note almost beyond human perception. Parfait jerked the knife out and shot up vertically into the sky out of Ichigo's reach.

"Pudding! PUDDING!" Ichigo leaped out to catch Pudding as she crumpled onto the grass. Pudding's chest was heaving – a slow red stain was melting down her back. Her eyes were half-closed, and she looked like she was going to pass out any minute…or worse…

The Café door burst open, and Ichigo looked up to see Tart and Pai both shoot out of the doorway. Pai's eyes darted toward Pudding.

"Damn it!" Ichigo had never heard him say anything like that before. He sharply changed the angle of his flight so that he took a hard upturn toward the small speck in the sky. Ichigo saw him take out his weapon and he headed up toward Parfait.

When Tart saw Pudding, he gave a strangled cry. "Oh no, Pudding! PUDDING-CHAN, I'M COMING!" He nearly broke his neck landing next to her, and then his arms were holding her, and he was looking down at her with something close to panic in his eyes.

"Pudding-chan, are you awake? Pudding-chan? Come on, please, please be okay!" he cried, cradelling her as gently as he could. "Pudding? PUDDING!"

In that moment, Ichigo saw how young both of them looked – they were only preteens, maybe twelve years old at the most. And yet they had both become involved in the fighting. Tart was even in charge of an army. Why? Why would they give him such a responsibility? Couldn't they see how young he was? How scared he looked now?

Tart's face was crumpled and broken and he was openly sobbing over Pudding as she tried to stay awake. "I-I-I'm s-s-sorry," Tart gasped. "I'm s-so s-sorry P-Pudding-ch-chan, I-I c-couldn't get t-to you in t-t-time to st-st-stop her!"

"It's okay." Pudding's voice was so faint. Ichigo could barely hear her. "As long as I got to see you…Taru…Taru…I'm…happy…"

"P-Pudding-"

"Move!" Ichigo was startled to see Ryou shove Tart back and kneel down next to Pudding. He picked her up swiftly in his arms and sprinted back into the Café. Ichigo was sure he was taking her downstairs. Tart floated after them for a moment, then hesitated. Ichigo's heart swelled with pain as she saw Tart, confused and crying, unsure of whether he should go or not.

Then, a loud scream sounded from above. Tart and Ichigo both jerked their heads upward and saw Parfait hurtling toward the ground like a torpedo. She was being driven by a huge gust of wind, and she seemed unable to escape from its clutches. Ichigo was sure this was one of Pai's attacks, though she'd never seen anything like it before. Parfait's arms were pinned to her sides – it was as if the wind were wrapped around her body and pushing her down in a nearly vertical line. If Parfait couldn't teleport out in time, she would be smashed to bits.

But Tart, in his anger and sorrow, couldn't just stand by without doing anything. With a cry of rage, he propelled himself toward Parfait like a bullet, whipping out his metal weapon and whirling it as fast as he could.

"Wait, Tart, stop!" Ichigo cried. If he hit her too hard he might break Pai's hold on her and then that would defeat the purpose. But Tart wasn't listening. He flung his hand back and then, with a powerful sweeping motion, chucked the whirling metal spheres at Parfait, intended to smash her head to bits.

Parfait ducked, reached up to grab the string as it passed, and its momentum yanked her clear out of Pai's wind. Ichigo leaped. Parfait tossed the weapon aside. Tart flew at her in a howling rage.

Parfait cried, "So my own comrades have turned against me? Fine, I'll kill her myself!"

Ichigo rammed into Parfait, who enveloped her in her arms and with a scream of furious triumph, teleported away, bringing Ichigo to a place where she couldn't be traced.

**IN-TENSE! And now, I have something to ask of all of you who have been reading this story thus far...**

**It occurred to me that the story is reaching its end pretty soon - probably in about three to five chapters. But then one of you guys gave me an idea of a new scene, and I realized that the way I'm planning on ending this story is actually kind of incomplete, meaning I'm going to end up leaving out some stuff that I actually want to cover in more detail later on. But the story is ending soon. But I don't want it to, because I've had so much fun writing it so far. So my question is..**

**If I attempt to write a continuation to this story - a kind of Part II, sequel-esque type story, maybe shorter but a continuation nonetheless - WOULD ANY OF YOU GUYS BE INTERESTED IN READING IT????? Maybe it won't be as "good" as this one, but there's more stuff I want to explore in the alien culture (Kisshu's home planet) and I think it would be fun for the Mews to have an adventure on another planet. At the same time, the sequel will include my take on how Kisshu and Ichigo function together in a real, romantic relationship. I'm wondering how different it would be from how Ichigo and Masaya were together. I would also be expanding on what I've started here in this story regarding Pai/Lettuce and Pudding/Tart. I would go much more into much more depth about Pai's and Tart's character, although the main focus would still be Ichigo and Kisshu. Basically, what I'm asking is, after this story is over, do you guys want MORE of the work I've done so far?**

**I'm not trying to overly-flatter myself or my writing, but based on many lovely reviews you guys think this story is relatively decent, so if I was to continue on, it would be for all of you as well as for my own personal amusement. Let me know what you think!**

**Dewa Mata,**

***~Suki~***


	20. Chapter 20: A Softness, A Tenderness

**Hey Everyone! Hope you've all be doing well this week...so listen, I'm going on Thanksgiving Break this week, so because of internet complications I probably won't be able to post a new chapter while I'm on Break. I just wanted to let everyone know as a courtesy. Also, I know this time I didn't reply personally to all the reviews, and that was because I got SWAMPED, which made me really happy! So I just want to thank everyone for your support and for answering my question so enthusiastically!**

**So, I guess here's the next chapter!**

Chapter Twenty: A Softness, A Tenderness

"_Taru-Taru is Pudding's very very best friend!"_

_- Pudding, Chapter Fourteen_

As soon as Ichigo felt the wind on her skin, she opened her eyes. She let out a gasp, and instinctively dug her fingers into Parfait's clothes. The smell of salt hit her nose.

They were floating just inches above the turbulent, churning seawater of a vast ocean that stretched so far in either direction, Ichigo couldn't see an inch of land in sight. Surely they were right in the middle. Why had Parfait taken her here?

In an instant, Parfait wrapped her arms even tighter around Ichigo, and suddenly wheeled around into a sharp dive toward the water. Ichigo just barely thought to resist screaming and instead take in a gulp of air, realizing in a split second that Parfait was going to drag her down into the water. Sure enough, with something that sounded like a cross between a laugh and a scream, Parfait and Ichigo crashed through the water's surface, and Ichigo was dragged helplessly down into the depths.

She struggled fiercely against Parfait's iron grip, but she was running out of air quickly and it was making her weaker by the second. A few bubbles escaped from her nostrils, and her heartbeat began to race as she began to panic. If she didn't find some way to free herself, she was going to drown. And the water was becoming so cold…Ichigo suddenly had a flash of remembrance of one day at the beach, when Lettuce had dived into the water, despite her inability to swim, to rescue a couple kids. She had been effected by Mew Aqua and somehow, her DNA had given her a tail and the ability to speak and breathe underwater. Lettuce had exploded from the water, shining with the blue brilliance of a goddess…the same glow that Ichigo had emitted when she'd regained her Mew Form.

Unfortunately, Ichigo's Mew Form didn't help her underwater. She was starting to feel dizzy, and her chest was burning from the lack of oxygen. She beat her fists uselessly against Parfait, hating how slow they moved in the water. Meanwhile, the water had become so cold that goose bumps had risen up on her skin. Through Ichigo's struggling, Parfait didn't once lose her speed or loosen her grip on Ichigo.

Ichigo felt a fire racing inside her. She couldn't last much longer. She was sure she was going to open her mouth any second and suck in a mouthful of water. That would surely hurt even more. Not to mention she would die…but wasn't she going to die anyway?

By now they were so far down in the water that it was pitch black. Parfait didn't seem the least bit afraid of coming across any vicious sea creatures. Ichigo felt her balance shift, and wondered if perhaps they had changed direction. Then she knew it didn't matter…her head was about to explode with the pressure, her skin had turned to ice, and her chest was searing in excruciating pain. She turned her mind at last to Kisshu, resigned to the fact that in mere moments, her mouth would open and she would breathe in the water and drown. Kisshu…she focused on his face, his eyes, the sleepy, awed smile he'd given her when he'd reached up to touch her face and call her beautiful…

Ichigo suddenly felt a change in their buoyancy. As if the pressure had changed. As if –

With a splash, both of them broke through the water's surface. They were floating in a space that was blacker than any night Ichigo had ever experienced. The air was extremely cold – the water even colder. But Ichigo didn't care – the wonderful, life-giving air was pouring into her lungs. She couldn't seem to get enough of it – her chest felt constricted. Then she realized it was because Parfait was still gripping her tight.

Not for long, though – with a squeal, Ichigo was pitched forward toward blackness. Instinctively, her feet shot out in front of her, and she was saved from scraping herself too badly on the rocks. It was a rather smooth surface, but it would've hurt if Ichigo hadn't been able to catch herself. Crouching low, Ichigo tried in vain to look around. As a cat, she probably would've been able to see just fine, but at the moment her more human eyes were failing her.

However, she didn't have to strain for long. Parfait's voice floated out of the darkness. "You thought perhaps I was trying to drown you?" Ichigo heard a low laugh, and her hair immediately stood up on end, even though she was soaked to the bone and her teeth were chattering. Ichigo heard Parfait moving around on the rock, rummaging for something, it seemed. She added, "That would've been much too easy. Now, let's see…ahh, here we are…"

Suddenly, Ichigo saw a small, base-ball sized glass orb light up in Parfait's hand, bringing a small amount of light to their surroundings. Ichigo glanced around; obviously they were in some kind of underwater cave. There was the strong smell of seaweed. The floor, however, was surprisingly clean, and smoother than Ichigo would have expected. The light wasn't strong enough to illuminate much more than Parfait and Ichigo themselves – the space around them stretched into blackness, and it unnerved Ichigo that she couldn't tell how big the cave was or how high it reached.

Parfait was smirking at Ichigo. Ichigo was almost impressed by her composure – surely she was just as cold – her dripping hair was practically hanging in her eyes, which peered like unnaturally bright snake eyes in the light of the strange globe.

Parfait gestured to the light she was holding. "A little technology from home," she said, turning and setting the thing on a rock that protruded up to her knees.

Ichigo demanded, "What is this place? Why did you bring me here?"

Parfait took her time in answering. "This is my secret base. I come here often to get away from those incompetent fools at the Café – your stupid Mews, the three idiots who are always stuck down in the basement…that little brat, Taruto-"

"Don't call him that!" Ichigo said loudly, feeling a surge of protectiveness toward him. Despite the fact that Tart had, indeed, been a brat when the Mews were fighting him, Ichigo felt it was cold of Parfait to say such a thing about her own leader.

Parfait ignored Ichigo's outburst. "And as for Pai…well…he's the most twisted and cruel of us all. Just the sight of him makes me sick."

Ichigo was shocked at her pronouncement. "Wh-what? That's ridiculous!" She couldn't believe what she was hearing. And it looked like Parfait really meant it. She was actually shaking now, and Ichigo could tell it wasn't from the cold, but from suppressed rage. Ichigo demanded, "What did Pai do that makes him so bad? It can't be anything worse than what you've done," she added, scowling at her.

Parfait's face twisted into a mask of anger, though Ichigo suspected that not all of it was directed toward her. Some of it seemed to be…farther away. As if Parfait were remembering something, and it was making her this angry.

"It's a good thing we have time!" Parfait spat. "It will those idiots a while to track us down. By the time they do-" Parfait said, sneering as Ichigo shivered from the cold "-I'll have told you exactly why Kisshu belongs to me, _and_ I'll have destroyed you."

---------------------------------------

When Kisshu woke up, the first thing he heard was someone crying. It took him a moment to recognize the voice. It was familiar. He turned his head to the side, and the sight immediately jolted him awake.

Pudding was lying in a bed next to his, her chest rising and falling as she were asleep. But her face was unusually pale. And peeking out from the blanket were bandages that had were wrapped around her body. Tart was floating cross-legged in the air next to her bed, sniveling, without even bothering to wipe his face.

Kisshu started to sit up, and Tart jumped in surprise. "Kish!" His voice sounded choked. "You're okay!"

Kisshu extended a toothy grin to his friend. "That's right – ouch," he added, putting a hand on his own bandaged chest. "Yo, Tart, what's the matter? Is Pudding okay?" Despite the cheerfulness in his tone, Kisshu was worried. He wondered if she'd been hurt in the battle with the enemy, as he had.

Tart sniffed, and shook his head miserably. "Kish…something bad happened. While you were asleep."

Kisshu stiffened. "What? What is it?" Kisshu sat up all the way, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed. "Is it Ichigo?"

Tart nodded. With a sudden movement that caused his chest to throb painfully, Kisshu vaulted off the bed and grabbed the edge of Pudding's bed, staring Tart intently in the face. "What happened? Where is she?"

"Sh-sh-she was-"

"Is she upstairs? Is she hurt?"

"I-I, well, she-"

"Is Pai with her? Where is Pai? What happened to the other Mews?"

"I-I d-don't-"

"_Tart! Where is she?_"

"SHUT UP, KISH, I'm trying to TELL you!" wailed Tart, clapping his hands over his ears in misery. Tears spilled out of his eyes. Kish immediately regretted his impatience. He heaved a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. It wouldn't do any good to wind Tart up any tighter than he was.

"Sorry," Kisshu mumbled. He settled back down on his own bed. "All right, just tell me what happened."

Tart nodded, swiping at his nose with his hand. "Well…" he took a shuddering breath. "Well, you came back hurt really bad, but Shirogane-san and Keiichiro-san fixed you up. And then I left and went upstairs with Pai and Pudding…and we were just sitting around talking when suddenly Pudding heard a noise outside. She ran out. I got up, but I didn't follow her…until…" Tart gulped, and hung his head. "…I heard her scream."

Kisshu's fists clenched into the bed sheets. "Was it the enemy? Did they track this place down?"

Tart shook his head. "No. It was…Parfait."

"_What?_" Kisshu leaped up again, unable to restrain himself. "Did Parfait do something to _Pudding?_"

Tart gave another sniff. "Yeah. She and Ichigo were fighting outside – Ichigo was in her Mew Form-" he added "-but Pudding ran out to try and stop them, and…and…" Tart's bottom lip began to quiver. "Sh-she g-got hurt."

"How? Was it an accident?"

"No," Tart said. His composure was quickly deteriorating again. "I-it was P-Parfait. P-Parfait st-stabbed her in the back."

"_Are you serious?_" Kisshu felt some kind of fiery beast rear up inside him. "_She_ did this to Pudding?"

"Yeah," Tart moaned, "and then she took Ichigo and they teleported away and we can't find them in Japan anywhere!"

"_She kidnapped Ichigo?_" Kisshu had had enough. Diving out of bed – and experiencing a ripping pain in his chest – he hurtled through the open doorway into the main computer room. Stopping short in midair, he saw Keiichiro, Ryou, and Pai at three computer stations, typing at the keyboard furiously. Data blinked and shuffled on all thee screens, and the trio was working silently and intently.

Kisshu hurried over to Pai. Without even bothering to confirm Tart's story, Kisshu demanded, "Have you found her yet?"

"No," Pai answered shortly.

"Where have you looked?"

"We're scanning the mountainous regions now, at the higher altitudes," Ryou said without breaking his concentration on the screen. "We've searched all the major cities as well."

Kisshu ground his teeth impatiently. So what did Ryou expect him to do, just sit and wait? "You guys don't have anything yet?" he asked again.

Ryou's expression twitched. Kisshu could tell he was just barely holding himself in check. Well, Kisshu felt the same way. His Ichigo, _his _Ichigo, was out there, with a crazy, deranged alien who was apparently obsessed over him –

"This doesn't make sense," he mumbled to himself. Pai turned slightly.

"What doesn't?"

"This," Kisshu said, gesturing toward the screens in demonstration. "I don't understand. Why is she-?"

"Kisshu-san! You're awake!"

Kisshu turned and saw Lettuce, Mint, and Zakuro hurrying down the stairs, with Crumb, Soda, and Scone right behind them. The three girls were all in their Mew Forms, and they looked flushed as if they'd been running. Zakuro immediately went over to Ryou

Ryou glanced up at her. "Nothing, huh?"

Zakuro shook her head. "They're not here. She must've taken her out of the city."

"I figured as much." Ryou turned back to the screen. "At least you guys looked. We don't have anything either."

Kisshu was getting more and more impatient. "So they're not in Tokyo anywhere?" he asked. Mint shook her head.

"We looked everywhere. Wherever Parfait went, she definitely doesn't want to be found."

Kisshu couldn't stand it. Everywhere he turned, everyone was telling him the same thing – they had nothing, they knew nothing. No one could find them. And that meant that wherever Ichigo was, she might be in danger at this very minute. She could be fighting Parfait right now and here they were just sitting around on computers and running around the city wasting time.

He straightened up suddenly. "I'm going to go look for her," he announced.

Lettuce gasped. "No, Kisshu-san! You're not well enough, you haven't recovered from your injury!"

"So?" Kisshu snapped. "I can't just sit here and wait!"

"We need to think about this," Lettuce pleaded. "We have to think of places she's most likely to go."

"I don't want to think, I want to do something!"

"But it's dangerous! The enemy aliens are still out there!"

"She's right, Kisshu." Pai's voice came from the computers, though he didn't stop what he was doing. "They could attack you right now and you wouldn't stand a chance."

Kisshu rounded on Pai. "Shut up! I can take care of my-"

"K-Kish."

Kisshu stopped mid-word. Tart had wandered out of the medical room, rubbing his eyes pitifully, his ears drooping. He looked so tired…and so small. It didn't occur to Kisshu often how young Tart was, but in that moment, he could see it clearly. There was so much vulnerability there, on the surface…it seemed that when his friends were hurt, Tart didn't hold up well at all.

His eyes looked up at Kisshu pleadingly. "D-don't go, K-Kisshu," he begged, hiccupping slightly. "P-please don't go alone."

Lettuce's eyes softened, and she went over to the younger boy. She bent down and picked Tart up as if he were a child. Tart wrapped himself around her, clinging to her tight, and burying his head in the crook of her neck. Kisshu watched, completely transfixed, as Lettuce made calming sounds and stroked the back of his head while he shuddered in her arms.

Kisshu glanced back at Pai. Pai had stopped working – in fact, was fully turned around in his seat – and staring at Lettuce and Tart with someone so foreign in his eyes that Kisshu was sure he'd only seen it there a few times in his life. A few very specific times, when he, Pai, and Tart were together as children.

It was a gentleness…a softness…a tenderness…Kisshu watched, in utter amazement, as Pai got up from his seat and floated over to Lettuce and Tart. It seemed everyone was watching. Lettuce looked up, startled, just before Pai enveloped the two of them in his arms, gathering the pair close to his chest.

Kisshu was rooted to the spot. The room was silent. Lettuce had willingly allowed herself to be brought into Pai's arms, and now she had turned her head to rest against his collarbone. One of Pai's hands held her shoulder, the other was wrapped around Tart's back. Tart was still tucked away in Lettuce's arms, his body now only shivering slightly instead of violently shaking. In a very quiet voice, Pai said to Tart, "Pudding will be all right. And so will Ichigo," he added to Lettuce.

Lettuce made a sound against Pai's chest. "I know."

The sight of them together calmed Kisshu down somewhat. Ichigo would be all right. Everything would be all right. It had to be. Because when this was all over, Kisshu would be with his Ichigo. He would kiss her, tell her he loved her, hold her in his arms, as Pai was holding Lettuce now. Somehow, Kisshu had to believe that it would turn out all right. He believed in everyone here. And he believed in Ichigo.

Heaving a sigh, Kisshu crossed his legs and settled into the air. "Okay." He placed a hand on his chin, concentrating on the situation at hand. "So, let's think – where would someone like Parfait go?"

They all thought for a moment. "Well," Lettuce piped up, "it might be somewhere secluded. Or somewhere that's hard for anyone except aliens to get to."

"And somewhere far." It was Crumb who spoke. Kisshu thought perhaps this was one of the only times he'd heard his comrades speak. The three of them never said much – they were all very interested in technology, and had been chosen for their brains as well as their fighting ability. He'd grown up with the three of them, as well as Pai and Tart. Though, to be honest…he tried not to think about his childhood too much. It hadn't exactly been pleasant.

Soda and Scone nodded. "She'd be with us for a while," Soda put in, "And then she'd disappear for a long time."

"And when she came back," Scone added, "She'd be really tired. She'd just check in on us and then go upstairs."

Kisshu considered this. "So…she must visit this place often. Kind of like a secret base. And it's far, so teleporting there makes her tired. Hey, Mint, Zakuro-" he called to them, "-you guys have been in her room, right?"

"Yeah, to clean," Mint said, shooting Ryou a dirty look. "It smells bad."

Kisshu frowned. "Bad?" He hadn't been aware of Parfait having any hygiene problems.

"Like salt," Zakuro added. "Or rather, like salt water."

"Like the beach?"

Zakuro nodded. Kisshu was even more confused. However, Pai seemed to have the opposite reaction. It was as if a light bulb had flickered on behind his eyes. Kisshu asked, "What is it?"

Pai glanced at Kisshu significantly. "It's quite likely that they are somewhere dark and enclosed."

How Pai had reached that conclusion via Mint and Zakuro talking about seawater, Kisshu had no idea. "Eh?"

Pai's eyes narrowed. "Parfait feels more comfortable in dark spaces."

Kisshu stared blankly. Pai looked irritated.

"Meaning, places like boxes. Or closets."

"Parfait's hiding in a closet?"

"No, Kisshu," Pai said, a bite in his voice. "That's not what I meant. And you should know what I mean when I say she likes dark spaces. At least…" Pai's eyes shifted away as he spoke. "…if you actually remembered."

"Remembered what?" Kisshu was getting impatient now. Every second they spent talking, something was happening with Parfait and Ichigo. He didn't appreciate that Pai was hinting at something Kisshu had no clue about. Parfait liked boxes and closets? What did that have to do with anything? And what was this about him not remembering?

"Look, what are you talking about?" Kisshu demanded.

Pai gave a barely perceptible sigh. Then, as if in resignation, he gave Lettuce and Tart a reassuring squeeze before gently letting them go and traveling over to Kisshu to speak to him face to face.

"You don't remember what happened. But I do."

His voice was calm. Kisshu glared at him.

"Okay, so what is it? Will you just tell me already?"

Pai's eyes had suddenly gone from irritation to a kind of distant, cold resentment. It was as if he was looking past Kisshu, as if he were thinking about something much farther back than the present. "You do not remember it now, but you will once I tell you again. It is only because they made you forget that you haven't remembered thus far."

Kisshu growled, "So fine, tell me. Is this going to help save Ichigo?"

Pai considered the question for a moment, unconcerned that Kisshu was glowering at him. "Yes, it will."

"_So what is it, damn it?_"

With a snarl, Pai suddenly reached out and grabbed Kisshu by the shoulders. Behind them, Lettuce gasped.

"Pai-san-!"

"Listen," Pai said urgently. His voice was very low. "Do you remember when we were children, and my mother sent us to Area 166? We were enrolled in our second year of Education, and we left the Base because we were to study for a weekend in Containment?"

To the humans, this made absolutely no sense whatsoever. But Kisshu nodded in recognition, for the terms were very familiar to him. It had been a long time since he'd thought about his childhood. Pai knew he didn't like to talk much about it, so he knew that whatever Pai was about to tell him was very important. Dimly the memory returned to him, piece by piece.

"Yeah…yeah…we went through the Ruins because we wanted to take a shortcut, right?"

Pai nodded. "Yes. And do you remember what we saw?"

Kisshu frowned. He shook his head. Pai tried again.

"Do you remember what happened? What you did?"

Again, Kisshu shook his head.

Pai took a deep breath, as if he were about to plunge underwater. His shoulders caved. "Do you remember who _died,_ Kisshu?" Pai watched intently for Kisshu's reaction. Everyone other eye in the room was fixed on them.

It hit him. It couldn't have hit him harder if he'd been knocked over by a tidal wave made of lead. His knees buckled slightly, and Pai had to keep him from tumbling right out of the air.

Pai's posture slumped in defeat. It was done. He'd made Kisshu remember everything. For Kisshu's face held nothing but horror…and pain.

And yet, Kisshu was also still thinking. Even as the memory washed over him, he was concentrating hard…putting the pieces together…connecting the present with the past…a thousand images shuffling together, into a string of clear memories that led to horrible conclusion after horrible conclusion…

"Oh…" The final piece clicked. "No…" Kisshu stared wildly around the room, feeling as if the world were caving in on him from every side.

"_Oh, no…OH, HELL!"_

**Yup...the dreaded cliffhanger. :) I don't consider this a particularly well-written chapter, so hopefully this coming up week I can crank out a few good ones on my time off. Anyways, for everyone who celebrates Thanksgiving, I hope it's a good one for you!**

**And now I'm off to bed...college life, woot woot...**

**Much love to all my wonderful readers,**

***~Suki~***


	21. Chapter 21: A Special Child

**Well, Hello Everybody! Turns out my computer has a marginal amount of internet connection, at least enough to post the next chapter. And guess what - it's SUPER LONG, probably the longest chapter yet. But after that cliffhanger, I guess I owed it to try extra hard with this chapter...oh, and a special thanks so everyone who reviewed who doesn't have an account! Know that I do appreciate your comments very much and I'm so glad that you're reading!**

**So here we go! Chapter Twenty-One in the great Kisshu and Ichigo love saga! (*sigh*, it's so freakin long...)**

Chapter Twenty-One: A Special Child

"_Kimi no kudake chitta yume no hahen ga boku no mune o sashite._

_Wasurete wa ikenai itami toshite kizamareteku."_

_Hamasaki Ayumi, Moments Single_

_Translation: _

"_What you adored looked beautiful to you._

_It became even brighter because you couldn't reach it."_

"Okay, so tell me then!"

Ichigo glared at Parfait with as much anger as she could muster. She was wet, freezing, and stuck in a cave that smelled like seaweed. Not to mention Parfait seemed fairly confident that they wouldn't be found for a long time. Needless to say, Ichigo was thoroughly annoyed by this time. Insulted too – what Parfait had said about Pai and Tart was awful, and she didn't understand it.

Ichigo asked, "Why do you think Kisshu should be with you? And why do you hate Pai so much?"

Parfait's face was cold in the semi-darkness. She looked at Ichigo with that far-away anger, as if seeing Ichigo, and yet seeing beyond her, into the past. Ichigo was sure she was remembering something, but she didn't know how it could possibly relate to what was happening now.

Then, in a very quiet voice – shockingly quiet, yet maintaining a strong intensity and a hint of bitterness – Parfait said to Ichigo:

"When I was very little, Kisshu saved my life."

Ichigo was shocked. Her mind had gone completely blank. She couldn't have spoken if she tried. Doubtless, it had been Parfait's intention to surprise Ichigo into being silent, so that she could keep talking. With barely a moment's pause, Parfait continued.

"If Kisshu hadn't protected me, I would've been murdered by my own father. It was too late to save my mother – Father killed her first – but when my Father turned on me, Kisshu appeared out of the storm and killed him instead."

Parfait's mouth twisted up into a smirk at the sight of Ichigo's horrified face. "Have I finally proven myself? Stupid girl, that was only the beginning for me. I never forgot him after that, nor did I forget what he did for me. I couldn't have – after that, I saw him almost every day."

Ichigo balked. After Kisshu had saved her, had he and Parfait become childhood friends? Did they share a bond of friendship that spanned from when they were little to now? Maybe at one point, Kisshu had even had feelings for Parfait. It was possible, if he'd known her for so long.

Parfait, seeing Ichigo's face as the thoughts flashed past, suddenly spat, "It's not what you think, you pathetic girl. I didn't speak to him again for ten years. It was only due to the charity of one of the scientists on the base that made it possible for me to see Kisshu all those years.

"After my parents were killed, the authorities took Kisshu and erased his memory of the event. He was - a _special_ child - and they didn't want him traumatized by the fact that he killed someone at such a young age. So he forgot about my Father. And he forgot about me." There was no mistaking the bitterness in Parfait's voice now. Despite everything that had happened, Ichigo felt a surge of compassion toward the beautiful, cold alien. To have such deep feelings for Kisshu, and have him not even realize she existed…it sounded terrible to Ichigo. Horrible. And incredibly sad.

Parfait cut a glance at Ichigo that could've sliced metal. "You have no idea what I endured," she snapped, "watching him all those years. I was taken in by one of the scientists, but I had to work for my keep. So I was given a daily job of cleaning the facility where they trained these special children – the place in which Kisshu, Pai, and Taruto grew up. The facility was on a special base that was closed off from the outside world – the world in which I lived, before my parents died. I had only vaguely heard of the facility before I was brought there.

"I grew up watching these special children from a distance as they were conditioned to become the saviors of our planet. They didn't talk to me. They didn't consider me to be of any importance. They were only concerned with themselves. And their special _training._" Parfait took the time to sneer at the last word. Then, to Ichigo's surprise, Parfait began to turn away.

"What are you-?"

"Do you remember," Parfait interrupted, "that special little screening device I used before? When I showed you all those precious memories of your Aoyama-kun?"

"_I told you_," Ichigo snarled, "not to call him that!"

Parfait raised an eyebrow. "I see the claws are finally coming out. And that's not the only name I know. Isn't it…_koneko-chan?_"

Ichigo couldn't hold back any longer. With a powerful, cat-like pounce, she sprang toward Parfait, drawing back a fist to punch her in the face. However, Parfait was too fast, and she dodged out of the way just in time to smack Ichigo in the arm where she'd been hurt. Emitting a cry of pain, Ichigo managed to land on her feet, and whirled around to face Parfait before she could strike again.

Parfait held a hand up to stop Ichigo. "You'll want to see this. Pay attention – it may be the last I let you see Kisshu before you die."

With her other hand, Parfait made an uplifting motion. Ichigo saw the familiar glow before the large, white sphere appeared from a huge crevice in the cave floor. Ichigo supposed it had been buried far beneath the surface to keep out the light. Now, its brilliance lit up the entire room, and Ichigo took advantage of the light to look around.

The ceiling was rather low, and hung with the residue of dried seaweed and barnacles. Ichigo supposed that the cave used to be filled with water. On the far walls, mountains upon mountains of boxes were stacked on top of each other in teetering piles. Ichigo wasn't sure what the boxes were made of – perhaps metal, or a type of plastic. She'd never seen material like it before. And they all looked the same. She couldn't begin to guess what was inside.

Parfait was controlling the white ball with her outstretched hand. Ichigo could see its screen flickering again. She guessed that perhaps Parfait was searching for something in particular. Bits of images flashed across the screen, but they were too fast for Ichigo to see.

Finally, Parfait's hand jerked, and the flickering ceased. She glanced back at Ichigo with another sneer on her lips. She asked, "Tell me, do you find Kisshu handsome?"

Ichigo blinked. She was caught off guard by the question.

Parfait said, "And you've only known him for a few years. I've watched him grow from a boy to who he is now. I've seen the way he moves, the things he says, the way he behaves under any circumstance. I know him more thoroughly that you ever will." Parfait paused. "What I'm about to show you now is but a sampling of what I have recorded. Unlike last time, I have even taken the liberty of activating the sound for you. Pay attention."

With a wave of her hand, Parfait activated the screen. As the movie-like visual appeared, Ichigo had a hard time understanding what she was seeing. It looked like a hallway.

Parfait spoke as Ichigo struggled to grasp the location of the scene. "This is the main hallway in the south building. And in just a moment – yes. There I am. Scrubbing the floor on my hands and knees. Like a slave."

Ichigo stared. Even as a little girl, Parfait had been incredibly beautiful. Her eyes were huge, golden, and framed by thick lashes, but her frame was very slight. Ichigo briefly wondered if she was given enough to eat. She was scrubbing with her whole body, rocking back and forth and digging the brush-like tool into the floor, attempting to wash away a very persistent amount of grime.

Suddenly, from the scene in the globe, there was the sound of a laugh. It was high, childish. The young Parfait looked up, her ears lifting slightly at the sound. One of the doors in the hallway opened. Ichigo was amazed to see two older alien boys – perhaps a few years older than herself – float out of the room, deep in conversation with each other.

"…yeah, that's what I said, he's really advanced for his age-"

"-they're all advanced, but do you think we should be starting with them this young? Especially the smallest one-"

"Who, Number 112? No way, his ability to manipulate plants is incredible. I've never seen anyone do that before-"

"-yeah, but still, if we push him too hard…"

The young Parfait kept her head down and her eyes on her work as the two older boys floated past her. They didn't even so much as look at her. Ichigo felt a little bit of the empathy she'd felt earlier return to her. Parfait truly looked like a little slave – small, frail, and neglected. But still quite beautiful – even then, her hair had been very long.

From the open doorway to the room in the hallway, another laugh sounded. The young Parfait lifted her head slightly, her long ears perking up again. Then, very slowly, she got up from the floor, leaving her brush, and went over to the doorway. She carefully peered around, trying to make herself as insignificant as possible.

Parfait was looking into a room – a room that was quite empty, except for its occupants. Maybe seven to ten children, ranging in ages, were milling around in little groups. They all looked tired, as if they'd just been exercising, or they had just finished with some sort of test. Most of them were talking quietly, but from the far corner of the room, someone let out another loud laugh. Parfait's eyes found the source, and her small mouth opened in barely suppressed delight.

Ichigo strained to see what Parfait was looking at. At that moment, someone moved, and in the corner, Ichigo saw three children floating together by themselves. Three very familiar looking children…

Ichigo couldn't help it. She took a step forward toward the screen. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her heart suddenly filled with a surge of warmth. She was sure she'd never seen anything more sweet than what she was seeing now. Or anything more adorable.

A young, scrawny, green-haired Kisshu had his head thrown back and was laughing. His white, pointy smile seemed to light up the entire room. His eyes were bright, and he looked as if whatever he was laughing at was the most amusing thing in the entire world. Ichigo covered her mouth with one hand, trying to stop herself from being overcome with emotion.

In front of him, a toddler-aged Tart was giggling and reaching his slightly chubby hands out to the older boy, floating unsteadily in the air. Ichigo was reminded of a baby trying to learn how to walk. Behind Tart, Ichigo saw, with another thrill of delight, a young and incredibly serious Pai watching Tart closely, making sure he didn't fall out of the air. His arms were crossed, and out of all the children in the room, he looked the most grave. His mouth was moving in speech.

As the young Parfait leaned forward slightly, Ichigo was able to hear what Pai was saying.

"…your training is the reason you're here. Don't get distracted, Kisshu."

"Aww, but Pai-kun!" Kisshu gave Pai a toothy grin. "The little guy's kinda cute! I wish my Mom would get me a little brother!"

"No, you don't," Pai muttered, shaking his head.

"C'mon, little guy!" Kisshu held his skinny arms out wide to receive the younger boy. "Come to Kish-kun! You can do it!"

Ichigo mouth trembled slightly as she watched the giggling, baby-faced Tart. Kisshu was right – he was ridiculously cute. She couldn't believe that the grown aliens she knew now once looked like this. Moreover, she couldn't have imagined what their home planet was like, and what kind of lives they'd lived before coming to Earth.

Suddenly, with a loud wail, Tart toppled out of the air, landing hard on his backside. Immedietly, his lip started to tremble, and his eyes grew wide and full with tears. He let out a whimper. Then, he opened his mouth into a full-blown scream of agony.

The young Kisshu panicked. "Oh no! Oh, I'm sorry, Tart! Aww, don't cry, I just-!"

"What's going on?"

Before the young Parfait could move, someone knocked into her as they hurried past her into the room. Stifling a cry, she slumped to the ground and tried to duck out of the way as the two older aliens from earlier headed toward the three in the corner. The rest of the room had gone dead silent. All the children seemed afraid.

"What happened?" one of the older boys demanded. In Ichigo's opinion, he sounded quite harsh.

Pai moved swiftly in front of Tart and Kisshu. Ichigo had the impression that he was somehow shielding them from danger. "I'm sorry," he said, holding his hands up both to implore to the older boys and to protect his friends. "It was my fault. I wasn't pay attention and he fell."

"Well, then, start paying attention!" Ichigo let out a squeak as the older alien struck Pai across the face. Pai barely make a sound, but Kisshu immedietly rose to his defense.

"It wasn't his fault! It was an accident-!"

"You shut up!" The alien drew back his hand to strike Kisshu next.

But Kisshu, with a sudden grin that bared his pointed fangs, said in a clever tone, "I've been working on that new animal, Leader 775." The hand paused. "You know – the one that combines with precipitation. With all the blizzards we've been having lately, I've been able to get in a lot of practice."

Pai looked alarmed at Kisshu's nerve. But then he glanced at Tart, who was still sitting on the ground bawling. Making a quick decision, he flew down to Tart and immedietly gathered the younger boy in his arms and started rubbing him on the back, making soft, imperceptible noises into his ear. Abruptly, Tart calmed down and grew quiet.

Meanwhile, the two older boys were glaring at Kisshu. Kisshu was smiling pleasantly at them, but there was something very calculating in his eyes. Ichigo felt her heart lift inside. She couldn't believe how brave he was – he was so small, and yet he was standing up for his friends as if he were somehow equal to the older boys.

But wait…was that…fear in their eyes? Ichigo was surprised. Surely these boys weren't actually afraid of Kisshu? He was so small…but then Ichigo remembered what Kisshu had just said. About some kind of new animal…

_Could he mean…a Chimera Animal?_ Ichigo suddenly realized that must be it – after all, she'd seen enough of Kisshu's Chimera Animals to know that they were quite dangerous. Though not usually enough to beat her Strawberry Bell, they'd grown stronger and stronger as Kisshu, Tart, and Pai found different ways to make the Animals. Kisshu, in particular, had introduced the concept of fusing the Animals with human souls. Ichigo suddenly wondered if Kisshu had some kind of special gif with Chimera Animals. After all, Parfait had said that this was a facility for special children – children who were supposedly training to be the saviors of the planet.

One of the older boys growled, "Don't try anything stupid! Or we'll report you to the chief and you'll be kicked out of the school!"

"Really? Cuz from what I understand, I'm pretty useful to the government." Kisshu gave another one of his deliciously wicked grins. "They think I'm kinda special, ya see. They think that I can create some pretty powerful Chimera Animals."

The older boys were silent, fuming. Kisshu continued pleasantly, "That's the whole reason I'm here, isn't it? I'm one of the _special children?_ Anyone can create a two-celled demon micro-organism, but so far, Pai and I are the only kids who can make an intelligent being. And as far as I know-" Kisshu added, "-_I'm _the only one so far who's been able to use Grade Three Chimera Animals. Won't be long before I get up to Grade Five. And after that…I might even start coming up with them on my own."

One of the older boys scoffed. "You can't control a Grade Five! You're just a kid! Not even the teachers can do that!" The boy leaned in close, sticking his nose in Kisshu's face. Kisshu didn't budge. "But if you _ever_ talk back to me again, I'll make sure they get rid of you."

Then, before Kisshu could move, the boy reached out and hit Kisshu across the face. With a yell of rage, Kisshu lunged at the boy, but Pai flung an arm around his waist just in time, managing somehow to pull him back and keep hold of Tart at the same time.

"Kisshu, no!" Pai yelled. "You're being immature! Don't let your pride get in the way!"

"But he's – he's-" Kisshu choked out, incoherent in his fury.

"Let it go! You can't get kicked out, you know what's at stake!"

"Yeah, that's right," the older boy sneered. "You know what's at stake. Don't mess it up for everyone else." With that, the boys turned and floated back out of the room, passing by the cowering Parfait as if she was part of the floor. Meanwhile, Kisshu wrenched out of Pai's grip, his fists balled at his sides and his teeth clenched. He was shaking with suppressed rage.

"Why'd you do that, Pai? You know how much I can't stand them!"

"You've already gotten in enough trouble this week," Pai said. His face was quite expressionless. He shifted Tart in his arms, and the toddler took this as a sign to rest his chin on Pai's shoulder. "If you'd engaged in another fight, you would've been sent to Containment."

"Yeah, but-!"

"Your pride," Pai plowed on, looking abnormally mature for his age, "always gets in the way, Kisshu. Think about it. We could very well be growing up in the Ruins, like the other children." As Kisshu looked down at the ground and frowned unhappily, Pai's eyes shifted from Kisshu's face to Parfait's. In an instant, Ichigo had a sudden, sneaking suspicion:

_He knows. Somehow, he knows what happened with Parfait and Kisshu._

Ichigo was startled at how Pai could look at Parfait – somehow seeming to know her situation - and say nothing. So far, he'd been the only one to acknowledge her existence at all – even the other children had ignored her, though she'd remained in the doorway the whole time. As Pai's eyes met her's, the young Parfait let out a gasp and quickly ducked out of the room. As she fled, Kisshu glanced up and, seeing Pai looking toward the door, turned around to see. But it was too late – Parfait had already gone.

The screen flickered, and for a moment, was back to being white again. Ichigo blinked, and wondered if it was over. But as she glanced at Parfait. Parfait continued to look at the screen, her eyes surprisingly blank, so Ichigo turned back just in time to see the screen fill again with a new picture.

Immedietly, Ichigo noticed that Parfait was older. Though she was still apparently in charge of the cleaning, a few years had passed and she looked even more lovely than she had before. For a brief moment, Ichigo wondered – with a sour expression – if Parfait had ever had one of those awkward stages. From the looks of it, it had never been so; it seemed Parfait had been unnaturally beautiful since the day she was born. Pouting slightly, Ichigo crossed her arms and waited to see what would happen next.

Parfait was cleaning a window with a rag, and as she wiped away a foggy spot on the glass-like material, Ichigo saw that it was dark and incredibly gloomy outside. Furthermore, there was a figure floating down on the ground below, alone, out in the snow. The young Parfait froze in her work, the rag dropping to the floor. Immedietly, she pressed her face against the window, trying to get as close a look as she could as the figure moved across her field of vision. Ichigo watched with equal attentiveness.

As Ichigo had guess, it was Kisshu. He had grown as well, not quite into the boy Ichigo had met two years ago. But it wasn't his age or his appearance that made Ichigo's heart clench. It was the look of incredible sadness on his face, the way his shoulders were hunched against the wind, and the way that he was all alone out in the snow, with no Tart, or Pai, or anyone else for that matter, in his company.

The young Parfait in the screen began to cry – she pressed a delicate hand to her mouth to stop herself from making any noise, but her wide, shimmering eyes continued to trail Kisshu as he made his way miserably across the snowy plain.

"I learned later," the grown Parfait interjected, her voice icy, "that he, Pai, and Taruto were growning farther and farther apart by that time, each to be individually trained in their abilities. Sometimes Kisshu and Pai would argue, and I would overhear. That's why, a few years later-" Parfait swiped at the screen with an open hand, abruptly changing the scene, "-when we heard word from Deep Blue-Sama that the time had come to take back the Earth, Kisshu was initially sent out on the mission alone."

Ichigo gasped, both at the mention of Deep Blue and at what was happening on the screen. An enormous space craft – almost identical to the one in which she had fought Deep Blue – was parked inside a huge, ball-room sized area. There was no ceiling – the walls simply opened up to the sky, which was, once again, cloudy and very gray.

Next to the space craft, a fourteen-year-old Kisshu was waving goodbye to what looked like the entire school. Ichigo could see some of the children from the first scene now grown older, and the two older boys now adults floating in the back of the crowd. Behind them, Ichigo spotted Parfait, a lovely young girl who still looked like she was dressed in cleaning rags. Her eyes were filled with tears again, but she was also trying her best to be inconspicuous, lest she be kicked out of the ceremony.

Toward the front of the crowd, Kisshu had come up to Pai and Tart. It felt so strange seeing them this way again – like she was looking through a time warp. They looked just as they had two years ago; Tart was clutching his red, toy-like weapon in one hand, and trying his best to look cool and unmoved; beside him, Pai was standing with his arms crossed, as emotionless as stone.

Kisshu grinned as he approached them. Ichigo was struck by how much older the Kisshu of today looked compared to that of two years ago. The Kisshu of today was taller, broader, and something about the muscles of his abdomen had the ability to make Ichigo weak in the knees (at least, it had during the brief moments Ichigo had allowed herself to admire him). Not to mention his grin – so wickedly clever, and yet so personal. Like he was teasing, but only because he knew she didn't really mind.

She could see that grin now, and it reminded her so much of the first time she'd met Kisshu. After all, this scene couldn't have been much earlier than that first day Kisshu had made his presence on Earth known. On the screen, Kisshu stuck out his hand.

"Well, Pai-kun! I guess it's time for me to go get Earth back for Deep Blue-Sama." Kisshu winked. "Don't worry, I won't take too long. It should be pretty easy to get rid of those humans."

Pai took Kisshu's hand, but his expression barely changed. "I hope that you are correct," he said. Ichigo immedietly recognized his monotonous tone, and wondered if, at that point in time, he and Kisshu had even been friends.

It seemed Kisshu thought so. He grinned even wider and leaned in a little, saying in a clever voice, "Look after Taru-Taru while I'm gone, neh? Don't let him do anything stupid-"

"Hey! You don't have any room to talk!" piped up Tart from beside Pai. Kisshu turned. Tart had lost his tremulous expression; now, he looked incredibly indignant. Ichigo was reminded of the time when the Mews had been unimpressed by his Chimera Animals at the beach.

Kisshu laughed, and reached down to pat Tart condescendingly on the head. "Don't forget, Taru-Taru-"

Don't call me that! My name is Taruto!"

"Don't forget, Taru-Taru," Kisshu plowed on, ignoring Tart's fury, "_you're _the one who can manipulate plants, not me. How could I have been the one to play that trick on the girls' floor? I was in my room all day yesterday packing to-"

"KISSHU-KUN!"

The fourteen-year-old Parfait just managed to dodge out of the way as a group of alien girls flew into the room in a chaotic stampede. They all looked about Kisshu's age, and they were all – to Ichigo's slight displeasure – incredibly cute. Behind them, Parfait was gritting her teeth, barely suppressing her rage. Ichigo wondered if something had changed in the time between the last memory and now. In the other memories, Parfait had looked shy, sad, and afraid. Not angry and bitter, as she did now. Ichigo wondered if something had happened. Though to her credit, the girls _had_ been about to run her over.

Some of the teachers attempted to hold the girls back, but the mob bulldozed right past them and headed straight for Kisshu. Kisshu, Ichigo noticed, didn't seem in the least bit surprised to see them. Rather, he looked like he was trying not to show too much overt amusement. The girls pounced on him.

"Kisshu, it _was_ you, wasn't it?" one of the girls demanded.

"_You're _the one who played that awful trick on us last night, didn't you?"

"We _know_ it was you! We're sure of it!"

"Hey, slow down, ladies," Kisshu said, adopting a soothing voice. "Please, I swear it wasn't me. I've seen your special abilities. Do you really think I would risk your wrath just for a small, insignificant prank? I'd be blown into a million pieces!"

The first girl made a noise of frustration. "Kisshu! You're lying! I saw-!"

With a wicked grin, Kisshu reached out and took her chin in one hand, directing her to look straight at him. Her voice died away abruptly. Kisshu studied her for a moment. Ichigo was strongly reminded of the many times Kisshu had done this to her before trying to kiss her. Judging from the girl's expression – not to mention those of her surrounding classmates – the girl hadn't actually been mad at Kisshu from the beginning. In fact, Ichigo suspected that they'd really just wanted to cause a scene before he left so that he would pay attention to them. Despite their abilities, none of them looked as though they acted particularly bright around Kisshu.

In fact – Ichigo went rather cold at the thought – it seemed that on his home planet, Kisshu was something of a…a…a _catch_.

_Waahh…so that's why he had to go and harass me all the time, _Ichigo thought. _He probably liked that I wasn't fawning over him like all the other girls here, and that just made him more determined to bother me! And then he ended up…falling for me…_

Frowning, Ichigo stopped mid-thought, choosing instead of focus on the screen again. Kisshu was grinning at the girl, his pointy fangs gleaming devilishly. In the back of the crowd, Ichigo could almost see the steam billowing out of Parfait's ears. She looked like she wanted to tear the girl's head off.

Kisshu said to the girl, "Macchiato…does this face…look like the face…of a liar?"

The alien girl called Macchiato swallowed hard. Kisshu continued to subject her to his cunning stare. Finally, Macchiato sighed, and allowed herself to lean against him for support – she did, in fact, look like her knees were going to give out. Ichigo knew the feeling, but she wouldn't let herself be caught dead looking so clingy. Just seeing the adoring expression in Macchiato's eyes made Ichigo feel violently ill.

"Oh, Kisshu!" Macchiato sounded like she was starring in some operatic tragedy. "Please, don't leave me! I know that you didn't play that trick on us, it was little Taru's fault-"

"Hey, no it wasn't, and don't call me 'little Taru'-!"

"-but I just wanted to see you one last time!" Macchiato exclaimed, flinging her arms around Kisshu's neck dramatically. "Oh, Kisshu, what are we going to do without you here? Tell us, how long will you be gone?"

"It's hard to say, ladies," Kisshu said, addressing the group as a whole. "It could be a month, or it could be a year. Who knows, it could even take the rest of my life." The hint of regret in his voice made Tart stick his tongue out in distaste. Beside him, Pai rolled his eyes, clearly bored with Kisshu's antics.

The girls swooned.

"No, Kisshu! It can't be that long!"

"Please come back soon!"

"We'll miss you!"

One of the teachers interrupted their heartfelt goodbyes. "Kisshu – it's time."

Kisshu was immedietly serious. He understood. Gently, he removed Macchiato from around his neck and stepped away. He glanced at Pai and Tart.

"Now don't come looking for me, you guys. I can do this one on my own." There was no hint of a lighthearted trickster now. Kisshu was being completely honest. In fact, he was practically imploring his two friends not to come to Earth. He was especially speaking to Pai – Ichigo saw the earnestness there, and his desire to prove himself. This was, after all, the moment that he'd been trained for his whole life.

Pai merely said, "We will come if there is a need. Don't get distracted – the humans are a strange race, and doubtless they will intrigue you. Remember what you have been sent to do." Pai's eyes bore straight into Kisshu's. For once, Kisshu didn't retort with something clever or snide. He simply nodded.

"Hey, Kish." Tart was looking at the ground, and fiddling with the weapon in his hands. "If Deep Blue does decide to send us, don't be too mad, okay?"

Kisshu's face hardened into an expression of grim determination. "He won't. I promise, I'll take care of everything." He lifted his head and surveyed the entire group. His eyes landed on the young Parfait in the back of the crowd. For a second, Ichigo thought Kisshu recognized her. Parfait had frozen. She looked scared, but at the same time, hopeful and pleading. As if she were praying that Kisshu recognized her after all.

But then, Kisshu's eyes moved on, sliding past her, and Parfait looked down at the floor in embarrassment and shame. Kisshu turned around, and entered into the open door of the waiting ship.

"Now, you see."

Ichigo jumped. She'd almost forgotten that the present-day Parfait was standing just a few feet away from her. The screen had gone blank, casting a harsh, white light around the cave that illuminated the many boxes that lined the walls. Parfait was bathed in the light, and she was smiling maliciously.

"I've known him for nearly his entire life. It didn't matter to me if he knew me. As long as he never loved another girl the way that I loved him, I could survive.

"When he left…I knew that he would succeed in his mission. Whatever the outcome – taking Earth back, or restoring our own planet – I knew that he would return a hero. Even though the others counted his faults, and doubted him, I never did. I'd seen what he could do, and I remembered what he'd done for me. I knew he could save our race. I always believed in him."

Parfait's face tightened. "So once he was gone, I quit my job at the facility and enlisted in our military. It was nearly impossible for me to get in, but I was able to prove to them that I was capable. And I continued to prove my worth every second I was there…I worked harder, trained harder, than any of the other worthless sops there, until I rose to one of our highest ranks. I knew that when Kisshu returned, he would be given control of our military, and then I would have countless opprotunites to be near him - to be recognized, to work with him, to have him actually speak to me and know who I was."

A small, bitter smile worked its way onto her face. Ichigo could see she was lost in thought. An uncomfortable knot had formed in Ichigo's stomach. Even though it really wasn't anyone's fault, it didn't seem fair; Parfait had worked so hard, for so long, just hoping that someday Kisshu to notice her and care about her, when all this time, he either hadn't know she even existed…or he'd been thinking about Ichigo…

_I had no idea how much she's suffered. Especially since Kisshu saved her life…she's always thought of him as her savior. And then to have him not even know who she was…that must have been so horrible…_

"…I'm sorry, Parfait-san."

Parfait froze. Ichigo gulped, and tried again. It was important that she convey what she was trying to say correctly. She had the feeling she'd only have time to say it once.

"I'm sorry that…that they erased Kisshu's memory, and that he didn't know who you were. I know that if…if I loved someone that much-" Thinking back to two years ago, she saw Aoyama-kun's face crystal clear in her mind's eye "-and he didn't know me, it would make me feel terrible."

Parfait looked completely staggered. She had expected Ichigo to defend herself, not apologize to Parfait and sympathize with her. Parfait ground her teeth in anger, preparing to retort, but when Ichigo continued her speech, she seemed to hold herself at bay.

"And I know that compared to you, I haven't done anything for Kisshu – I mean, I used to be his _enemy_," Ichigo added, almost laughing a little as the realization hit her. "…but…you know…Kisshu saved _my _life two years ago. And it was when he did that, that I finally saw him the way you've seen him this whole time.

"You've seen his bravery, and his protective side, and his willingness to put himself in danger for you, right? Well, I finally saw those things when he died for me. So after that, I started the process that led me to fall in love with him – you started that process a lot earlier than I did, because Kisshu saved your life way before he saved mine. So you've had a lot more years to love Kisshu than I have."

Ichigo looked down a little, smiling to herself. "I'm actually kinda jealous that I didn't get to watch him grow up. That's something that you know about him that I never will. But the two years that he was gone, I started that process of falling in love with him. I thought about him all the time. I heard his voice in my head. And whenever I had nightmares-" Ichigo stumbled a little, feeling self conscious admitting this intimate detail to someone who wanted to kill her "-I would think about Kisshu, and it made me feel better. So by the time he came back to Earth, I was already falling for him.

"So you see," Ichigo finished, "maybe I don't have as much history with him as you do. But that's because I haven't known him as long, and I don't know him in the way you do. You've always known him as your hero. But I… only started thinking of him in that way after the Final Battle. So maybe looking at us side by side, it looks like I don't care about Kisshu as much as you do…but…if it came down to it…I'd gladly give _my _life to save _his_. I'd do whatever it takes to make him happy." Their eyes met. "And I will."

Parfait didn't miss the challenge in Ichigo's voice. And it was real – Ichigo was incredibly sympathetic toward Parfait and everything that she'd been through, but it didn't minimize the way Ichigo felt toward Kisshu. There had been nights, during those awful nightmares about Deep Blue, where the only thing that had kept her from screaming was the memory of Kisshu's face. Ichigo knew her feelings for him were just as deep, and just as real. If only her insecurities about herself as a Mew hadn't gotten in the way…she might have been able to tell Kisshu sooner how she felt about him, and then they could've been together. Instead…

Parfait's face had twisted into a snarl. "You think that he loves you? I don't think so. Moreover, I won't ALLOW it to be so!"

With a violent motion, Parfait suddenly swept her hand in a circle across her body. A loud gust of wind shot through the cave. Ichigo was caught so off guard that she stumbled – how could there be wind? They were in an underwater cave…

Suddenly, all the boxes began to rattle. Ichigo almost jumped out of her skin. Her cat ears flattened against her skull and she crouched low to the ground, all her senses alert. Every single box in the room was shaking, as if something inside them had woken, and was straining to get out.

Parfait's cold, loud voice echoed above the deafening noise. "It seems my time with Kisshu paid off - during the two years that you were crying over your precious human filth of a dead lover, Kisshu took me into his confidence and showed me his newest development. A brand new Chimera Animal – possibly one that will create an even higher level of classification – a Grade Six."

Ichigo whirled around and stared at Parfait. The beautiful alien was alight with savage glee. "So when Kisshu arrives to save you, he'll have to make a choice – become mine – and say I'm his - or fight to save you. And since these Animals haven't even left the lab yet, no one can guess the extent of their power. Perhaps he could control one of them on his one but…as you can see…I've managed to steal plenty."

Suddenly, to Ichigo's horror, Parfait began to laugh. A loud, high, cruel laugh. "So if he decides to choose you, I can at least have my final revenge. Because once I fuse these Animals together, not even Kisshu and those traitors will be able to fight them. I'll kill them all." With a loud screech, she repeated, "Do you hear that, you worthless human? If he doesn't choose me, I'll kill everyone, including you and Kisshu!"

**....okay....so it's another cliffhanger...but honestly, it was the best place to end, I swear! Anywhere else and it wouldn't have made sense! Anyways, if you review I will probably be spurred to update sooner because I love feedback! And in case anyone doesn't know, there's a fairly good chance that I will attempt a sequel. I'm not sure it will be quite as epic, and I can't promise that I'll go through with it, but I would like to try anyway. **

**Take Care, Ye Wondeful TMM Fans!**

***~Suki~***


	22. Chapter 22: To Defeat the Animals

**Hey Guys! Sorry that this one took longer than usual to crank out. I didn't have internet during most of my break. Plus these two weeks are going to be grueling - essays and exams before break and such. Ugh.**

**Anyways, I'll try my best to have the writing be...uh...decent...anyways, here's the chapter and I hope it does it for you!**

Chapter Twenty-Two: To Defeat the Animals

_It never changed with her. Ever since becoming a leader of the army, Parfait had been hinting at how much she liked him, and even going to far as to chase off any other girls who might catch his interest. She was terribly jealous, and he'd heard stories of her bullying other girls into transferring to different stations just so she could have him to herself. _

_But that didn't mean he was going to let Parfait get away with harassing Ichigo._

_- Chapter Six_

Kisshu felt like he was drowning; sickening wave after sickening wave of old memories threatened to suffocate him. If Pai hadn't been gripping him so tightly by the shoulders, Kisshu would've fallen right out of the air. He felt lost. Overwhelmed.

Not to mention horrified beyond all measure. Because he remembered now. He remembered everything.

_"Hey, watch out!" Kisshu flew in front of the little girl just in time, receiving the blow that was meant for her. He was bashed into the snow, and behind him the girl screamed._

_The grown alien - a male, who towered over the two children – looked down at Kisshu and the little girl menacingly, a long, crude knife clutched in his hand. Kisshu's eyes darted over to the body that lay a few feet away. Long, silky hair fanned out upon the snow, obscuring the face that no longer held any signs of life. The little girl whimpered._

_"Father…father, please…"_

_"SHUT UP!" her Father roared, taking a step closer to them. "I'll do to you what I did to your Mother!"_

_"No!" the girl wailed, cowering into the snow. A sudden gust of icy wind swept past them, setting Kisshu's teeth rattling. But he clenched his jaw tight, willing himself to defend this girl, to protect her. Without him, she was helpless. She would suffer the same fate as her mother._

_"It's your fault!" the Father screamed. His voice was somewhat lost in the wind. "It's your fault my life turned out this way! If you hadn't been born, things would've been better for me!"_

_Tears were streaming down the little girl's face. Kisshu couldn't believe a Father could say something so cruel to his own child. Never mind that he didn't have a father of his own – he was sure that if his were alive, he would never have said something like that to Kisshu. From what his mother said, Kisshu's father had loved him very much._

_But Kisshu didn't have time to think about that now. He whirled around and brought the girl to his chest, sheltering her as much as he could from the wind. He looked around frantically, trying to think of a place to hide her. He wanted to get her out of the way before he attacked her Father, just in case he did something wrong. He'd never actually practiced his ability outside a classroom before, and he was afraid that he might hurt her._

_He spotted something. Through the fierce winds of ice and snow that billowed around them, Kisshu could see a craggy rock nearby. There was a large crack that the little girl would be able to hide in. Maybe it even led to a cave, where she could take shelter. It was a small, dark space, and perhaps it would frighten her, but it was the best he could do._

_Gathering her up in his arms, he took off for the rock. It wasn't far, but if he had to guess he didn't think he weighed much more than she did, so to him, she seemed heavy. But he managed to hang onto her as he flew, ducking his head and squinting so as not to get too much snow in his eyes. _

_"Here!" Kisshu practically shoved the girl into the opening in the rock. "Just stay there! I'll keep you safe!" _

_The girl's wide, frightened eyes darted up to look at him, but he didn't have time to try and comfort her. The father was closing in on them fast, and Kisshu needed to find his Infuser. As he searched frantically though his pockets, he looked around for something to combine it with._

_Before he could find what he was looking for, the deranged Father struck Kisshu so hard that he flew a few feet before crashing into a drift. The snow chilled him to the bone. His fingers felt clumsy and numb. But the fall had disrupted the items in his pockets, and he was able to extract the glowing, slightly-pulsating object from the rest of his possessions. Standing up, he clutched the Infuser in his hand as if it were his own heart._

_"Hey, what's that, kid?" the Father shouted, hurtling toward Kisshu with his knife raised. In desperation, Kisshu swiped up a handful of snow off the ground. It was his only chance. He raised his hands._

_"FUSION!" he screamed. The snow and the Infuser combined, and a brilliant, bluish-white light shot from his hands. A creature emerged from the light. Its form was shifting, moving, as if it were made from the wind itself. However, its body was laden with icicles and as it let out a roar, a gust of wind shot forth a fountain of water that froze as soon as it hit the ground._

_The Father ducked out of the way just in time. "What the hell?" he roared. "That's impossible! No one can make a Chimera Animal all by themselves!"_

_Kisshu addressed the Animal that it had taken nearly all his strength to create. "Go…kill…that…murderer." He flopped down in the snow, too weak to hold himself aloft. The creature dove, spewing icy water from its fangs._

_The Father yelled, and retreated before he could be pierced with a volley of icicles. The knife seemed quite useless now, in his hands. He tossed it aside as he ran, and it landed near Kisshu in the snow. An icicle struck the Father in the back, and he roared in pain. _

_Turning, he rounded on Kisshu, flying at an incredible speed. As he bore down on Kisshu, he shouted, "A kid like you doesn't deserve to LIVE!"_

_Kisshu lurched to the side, snatching the crude knife from the ground. He whirled around, and as the Father was about to fasten his hands around Kisshu's throat, Kisshu drove the knife into his chest. Immediately, Kisshu was deluged in a shower of blood. He couldn't breathe. He backed away, letting go of the knife, dragging himself backwards through the snow that was now sprayed with blood. _

_The Father lay crumpled on the ground, his body twitching sporadically. The Chimera Animal leaped upon him, and began driving icicles into his body, not understanding that the enemy was already defeated. Kisshu had killed him. Kisshu had murdered him._

_Kisshu collapsed onto his back and let out a howl of misery. Tears poured down his face. He couldn't believe what he'd just done. He'd killed someone. Not only that, he'd created a Chimera Animal and directed it to kill. What kind of an evil being tried to kill someone of their own kind? _

_As he let out another wail, unable to withstand the magnitude of what he'd just done, he heard Pai's voice echo somewhere nearby. _

_"Kisshu! KISSHU! Where are you?"_

_Kisshu screamed, "PAI! HELP ME! PLEASE, HELP!" He covered his face with his hands and began to sob. _

_"No…no…no, I didn't…I just wanted…to save her…"_

"Kisshu…focus. Kisshu!"

Kisshu blinked. Pai had jolted him, and now he was incredibly disoriented. He'd just realized what Parfait was going to do to Ichigo, but the memory that had been suppressed for so long had engulfed him before he could say. Now, he felt himself resurfacing, but before he could address the matter at hand he needed a complete explanation.

"Pai…" Kisshu's eyes met his. "How come they didn't erase your memory too?"

Pai held his gaze as he answered. "I lied."

"You lied-?"

"I saw everything. After you killed Parfait's Father, I contacted the authorities and then went to meet them. I pretended that I'd just happened upon you. I didn't tell them we'd been traveling together, and that I'd seen the entire thing."

"But, then why-?"

"-didn't I help you fight?" Pai let out a short, bitter laugh. "Because I was afraid. And because I didn't want to get involved. I tried to convince you that it wasn't our concern, but you didn't listen. I stayed back, and I let you fight alone."

Kisshu saw, without a doubt, that Pai was ashamed. Reaching out, he gripped Pai's shoulders and looked him straight in the eye.

"Well, then that must've been the last cowardly thing you ever did, Pai-kun. Because I don't have a single memory of you ever running away from a fight. Or not trying to protect Tart and I." When Pai looked unconvinced, Kisshu gave him a little shake. "You've always been like my older brother, Pai. Even though they tried to keep us apart, tried to make us hate each other so that we would each become individually stronger, we rose above the government and their petty games. You've never let me down. Not once."

Pai thought about it for a moment. From the doorway, Lettuce and Tart were watching anxiously. There was such an overwhelming amount of compassion in Lettuce's eyes that Kisshu could feel it radiating from across the room.

Finally, Pai said, "Well, I have let Parfait down many, many times. I believe she might hate me almost as much as she hates Ichigo."

"What?" Kisshu demanded. "Why?"

"I knew who she was," Pai said, "Since the first day she entered the facility. I observed her. I saw her grow, and I saw how much she loved you. And yet I stood by and said nothing. She knew that your memory had been erased, and she'd been forbidden to talk to you, but she also knew that I'd seen everything that day her parents died."

Kisshu's mouth fell open. "You knew…the whole time…and you didn't say _anything_?"

Pai glanced up, sensing the disbelief in Kisshu's voice. So Kisshu still didn't understand. "Kisshu." He took a deep breath. "It was known from the beginning that you were an exceptionally special child."

Kisshu snorted. "Well, obviously. We all were special children."

"_No, Kisshu_," Pai emphasized, "I mean, you could do something that no one had been able to do for at least three thousand years. You could create and control powerful Chimera Animals all by yourself. You managed a Grade Two when you were just a few years old. At the time, a feat of that magnitude was unheard of."

Kisshu flushed, looking uncomfortable. "But you guys can make Chimera Animals just fine! I don't understand-"

"Tart has never gotten above a Grade Two by himself," Pai explained, "And I can control a Grade Three, with difficulty. Together, Tart and I can manage a Grade Four – you saw the one we released on the Mews, correct? The one that could manipulate dreams?"

Kisshu nodded, vaguely remembering. At that time, he'd been a lot more focused on Ichigo than anything else. Pai continued without waiting for a reply.

"You have a natural instinct about the science of Chimera Animals. I've seen your creations. I've seen the way you used human souls-"

"Yeah, well, uh…" Kisshu glanced sideways at the Mews, Ryou, and Keiichiro. Ryou and Mint were glaring at him. "Well, that wasn't one of my greatest ideas…anyway, now's not the time to think about that! We've gotta figure out where Ichigo is! So where do you-?"

"An underwater cave."

Kisshu blinked. Pai had spoken with such deadpan certainty that for a moment, Kisshu wondered if he was trying to make a badly-timed joke. "Eh?"

"_I said_, an underwater-"

"All right, all right, I heard you!" Kisshu let go of Pai's shoulders and turned to Ryou. "That makes sense – dark, enclosed space that smells like seaweed. Hey, Ryou, know about any of these underwater cave thingies?"

Ryou was frowning. "Usually they're filled with water. But if you're talking about one with a natural air pocket…then there's a fairly well-preserved one in the Atlantic Ocean."

"_The Atlantic Ocean?_" Lettuce, Mint and Zakuro shouted at the same time.

"But that's no where near Japan!" Mint exclaimed.

"Well, that would explain why our searches have turned up nothing," Keiichiro said thoughtfully.

"Never mind that," Kisshu said urgently. "Do a search and see if you can pick up any alien activity."

"Right." Keiichiro turned back to the computer and began typing swiftly. Ryou stood behind him, peering over his shoulder.

By the doorway, Lettuce finally put Tart down and said worriedly, "I hope Ichigo's doing all right."

Pai glanced over at her. Kisshu could tell he was suppressing the urge to go to her again. Tart dithered on the spot for a moment, then decided to float back into the medical room to check on Pudding. Suddenly, from the computer console, Keiichiro gasped.

"Ryou! Look at this!"

"What is it?" Kisshu bumped into Ryou as he attempted to see the screen. The two of them leaned in.

"There's a huge concentration of alien energy here!" Keiichiro pointed to a blinking red spot on the screen. "It's massive! I don't know if I've ever seen that much power in one area!"

Ryou considered the data, and then glanced at Kisshu. "Know anything alien that has that much power?" he asked. Kisshu had a sudden suspiscion, but it was so horrible that for the moment, he didn't even want to say it, lest it prove to be true.

But Ichigo's life was at stake. And time was running out. And he was almost one hundred percent certain he knew what Parfait had done. He gulped, and hung his head.

"Those are Infusers…a lot of them."

"How many?" Ryou asked testily.

"A lot," Kisshu repeated loudly. "They're special Infusers…I've been developing them in the lab back at home-"

"-you think Parfait stole them?" Pai interrupted. "How would she know of their existence?"

Kisshu realized, with a sickening sense of dread, what a horrible mistake he'd made. How wrong he'd been to trust Parfait, to take her into his confidence…

"I showed her. A few months ago. I let her see what I was developing."

"_What?_" Pai looked positively livid. "Kisshu, you are prohibited from showing anyone the contents of your lab! It's the _law!_"

"I know," Kisshu moaned, stretching his ears unhappily. "I know…I'm such a baka. I thought I could trust Parfait. If only I'd known…how desprate she was…I never suspected-"

"Kish, what kind of Infusers are they?" Tart piped up. He'd reentered the room and flown up to the group around the computer without anyone noticing.

Kisshu replied, "They're powerful. And unstable. They're the strongest thing I've ever created. I was keeping most of them in a sedated state and only activating one at a time. If Parfait activates them all at once…their power would be almost unstoppable."

"The energy spiked!" Keiichiro pointed to the screen, where the spot had suddenly increased dramatically in size. "Look, it's twice as big as before and building up by the minute!"

"She's woken them up," Kisshu muttered. His anger was mounting fast. He couldn't believe Parfait had done this. He couldn't believe she was putting his Ichigo in danger…and for what? Because he didn't love her the way he loved Ichigo? He'd _never _loved anyone the way he loved Ichigo, and that wasn't going to change. Was Parfait so desprate for his affection that she was willing to dispose of the competition?

His insides were boiling with rage. He had to save Ichigo. She was the whole reason he'd come to Earth again. She was the one he'd thought about at least every day since he'd met the Mews. She was his omae, his koneko-chan, his love…

_And now Parfait's using my own weapons against me? She's going to use my creations to destroy Ichigo?_ The irony sickened him. _Damn Parfait. I've been telling her this whole time to stay away from Ichigo! I knew she had some feelings for me, but I had no idea how deep they were. And now Ichigo is having to pay for my mistakes…just like my blood put her in danger…_

_But…I couldn't help that. I couldn't stop loving Ichigo, and I can't now! Even if Aoyama had lived, I wouldn't have stopped. Even though she said she wanted to just be friends, and even though she said she wanted me to stay away…I can't change how I feel about her._

Kisshu clenched his fist tight. His body was shaking with passion and rage. His fangs gleamed. The answer was coming to him. Slowly, but surely, he was resolved on what he had to do to defeat the Animals. It was an idea that had occurred to him a while ago, an idea that was really only a theory. It had never been tried before. It was probably considered suicidal.

But it was the only way. His Chimera Animals were too strong, and there was no more time.

"Tart. Pai." His two friends looked at him. "You should know…these Animals I'm developing…well…they're…really powerful."

"Grade Five?" Pai asked brusquley.

Kisshu shook his head. "Neh, I mean, really powerful. So strong that I've had to create a new category for them…a higher one."

In that instant, both Pai and Tart registered what he was saying. Tart gasped, and Pai's eyes darkened furiously. Off to the side, Crumb, Soda, and Scone looked shocked. They were the only other aliens in the room, and had the complete concept of what Kisshu was saying. Though to their credit, Ryou and Keiichiro, both science-literate humans, looked like they understood as well.

"Do you mean…you invented…Grade Six?"

Kisshu nodded. Pai stared at him as if he had lost his mind. It seemed impossible. The amount of power…would have to be incredible. Beyond comprehension. Pai demanded, "What do you combine the Infusers with?"

"Well, I don't think you really want to know…"

"Yes, I think I do," Pai said dangerously. It sounded like he was going to knock Kisshu out if he didn't say.

Kisshu sighed.

"Souls of the damned."

The Mews gasped. Ryou and Keiichiro looked horrified. Pai was too furious to even speak. Tart squeaked, "You mean of _dead people?_"

"Not just any dead people," Kisshu said quickly. He wanted to explain himself as fast as possible so he could tell Pai and Tart what he needed to do. "Souls of people who have committed evil crimes. Souls that aren't at rest. They're angry," he added, "so they're more powerful than a normal soul. And after leaving Earth I swore I wouldn't use the soul of a living human again."

"How do you collect souls?" Lettuce asked, her eyes wide.

"Graveyards," Kisshu mumbled. "That's where they like to gather."

"You've been hanging around in _graveyards?_" Mint asked in distaste.

"Hey, it's better than taking souls out of innocent, living people!" Kisshu defended. "But the problem is that they're a lot more resistant to Ichigo's powers! I don't think she can defeat them by herself!"

"Well, then what _can _defeat them?" Pai said. He sounded ready to strangle Kisshu.

"Another Chimera Animal. A more powerful one."

"But you said these new Animals are the most powerful Animals there are!" Tart exclaimed. "You said they're Grade Six!"

"I've been inventing this theory," Kisshu said. Here it was. The time had come to tell them. He knew they wouldn't like it, because there was a chance that once the change was made, he wouldn't be able to go back. There was a chance that he would lose control.

A chance that he would never be the same again.

Kisshu took a deep breath. "I think I can kill most of the Animals. And save Ichigo. If I…"

"If you _what?_"

"What is it, Kish?"

Kisshu closed his eyes. "…if I turn myself…into a Chimera Animal."

There was dead silence. No one moved. No one made a sound. Then…

"NO NO NO! DON'T DO IT, KISSHU!"

**I'll try to update soon!**

***~Suki~***


	23. Chapter 23: We'll Do This Together

**Hey Everyone! I do apologize that I haven't updated in a while, but school is my number one priority (should be yours too, if you go to school - study hard, get smart! :) ) and we just finished doing Finals. Now I'm on Christmas Break and I will have a chance to finish this story! And boy, is it almost finished! Yay!**

**On another note... I had certainly planned on writing a sequel to this story, but now I'm not so sure - at the very least, I will postpone it till later. The reason being because I don't want to be stuck just in TMM world forever - I'd also like to explore other animes - probably my first try at another genre will be either Ouran High School Host Club, Full Metal Alchemist, or Inuyasha! If only they would make an anime for Absolute Boyfriend, I would write something for that too! But I think I will definetly do some one-shots or some very short stories that build off of this story. I also know that the whole enemy-alien thing is being left unsettled, but maybe it's better that way...after all, didn't the anime end on an ambiguous note, where the Mews found out their powers weren't gone after all because there was still evil in the world to be fought? Anyways...so basically I'm saying a huge SORRY that I probably won't write a full-blown sequel to this TMM fanfic. I'm just eager to explore other genres. In any case, THANK YOU all for your amazing, wonderful, lovely reviews and I'm SORRY I didn't get around to writing you each a reply. **

**Hopefully this chapter was worth the wait...and no worries, the last two chapters (WAAHH, it's almost OVER!!!) will be coming much sooner this time. I'm on BREAK! HOORAY!!! **

Chapter Twenty-Three: We'll Do This Together

Kisshu's eyes flew open. He stared. Tears were streaming down Tart's face. There was terror in his eyes. Every part of him was shaking.

"PLEASE, KISSHU NO! YOU CAN'T!"

Kisshu gasped, "Hey, Tart…take is easy-"

"It's not possible." Pai's voice was cold – no, frigid. Like a death in the middle of winter. Briefly, Kisshu wondered if Pai had ever looked as angry as he did now. Maybe when he was in battle…fighting an enemy…but never when he was talking to a friend. Pai said, "There is no record of any of our kind ever attempting such a thing. It is madness. It's suicide."

"It could work," Kisshu pleaded, "if I just-"

"No. We won't allow it."

"Please don't, Kish," Tart begged, sniffing. Behind him, the three other aliens – Crumb, Soda, and Scone – looked horrified at the idea. Soda leaned over and whispered something in Crumb's ear. Crumb gave a nod, and then cleared his throat.

"Kisshu-sensei…if you do this…you'll not only be risking your own life, but everyone else's as well. That's against our laws. Committing such an act is punishable by-"

"_There's nothing else I can do_," Kisshu hissed through clenched teeth. "Nothing. Without my help, Ichigo is going to-!"

"We will fight the Chimera Animals." Pai was still speaking in the same, deadly tone. "If we combine our efforts-"

"You don't understand," Kisshu snarled. He felt a sort of persistent buzzing in his ear – a reminder that while they were standing around arguing, Ichigo could be fighting for her life. "They are more powerful than _anything_ we've had to face! Without a stronger Chimera Animal's powers, we don't have a chance of weakening them enough to defeat them!"

"So you're saying," Ryou interjected, "that Parfait has both the Infusers and the souls? How would she have transported them from your planet to here? Without anyone noticing? Without _you_ noticing, no less-"

"There's plenty of ways!" Kisshu snapped. "Our security system stinks! With nothing but a "do not enter" sign, it would've been easy for someone like Parfait to disregard the rules!"

"But…I thought your technology was quite advanced," Lettuce said timidly, looking rather confused. "Why would something like a security system be so weak?"

Kisshu had to bite his tongue to keep from snapping at her. Though it wasn't that he was mad at her specifically - they were just wasting so much time. Stifling a sigh, he turned to her to explain.

"Well, yeah, we are really advanced in some things – but for most of my life, the scientists have had to pick and choose what they study and improve. They couldn't be bothered with stuff like security systems, not when they had to study and train all the special kids and worry about feeding our entire race on nothing." The memories made Kisshu growl in the back of his throat. "We'd had winter for so long…keeping everyone alive and training us was the government's priority. Everything else took second place."

It wasn't in Ryou's nature to look abashed, but for once he kept silent, and Kisshu supposed that it was his way of backing off. Lettuce merely looked sad. Kisshu turned back to Pai, who had not yet lost his frightful expression. Beside Pai, Tart gave another sniff.

Kisshu said seriously, "Once I turn into-"

"No."

Kisshu tried again. "Once I turn into a Chimera-"

"No."

"Pai!" he shouted, losing his temper again. "There's no other WAY!"

"There is," Pai insisted. "We can fight them as we are. There is no need for you to change."

"We aren't strong enough!" Kisshu said. "If I change, I can become strong enough to weaken the Animals to the point that all of you can handle the rest! We're two fighters short – Pudding is still hurt, and Parfait's betrayed us! And there's no telling-" Kisshu paused, unwilling to say it, "-what con-condition Ichigo will be in."

He wished they could understand. He, out of everyone, understood best the danger the Chimera Animals possessed – even more so than Parfait. He couldn't believe she'd done something so stupid. There was no telling how the Animals would react, or what they would do. She risked not only putting Ichigo in danger, but the rest of the humans as well.

Pai was still resolute. "We will go as we are. I won't let you do this."

"You can't tell me what to do!

Pai ignored him. "If we die, we will die as ourselves."

"Fine, we'll go as ourselves, but if it comes down to it and there's no other choice, I'm doing it!" Kisshu snarled. His chest was throbbing, but he didn't care. "Now let's go, Ichigo's in danger! There's no tellinghow far Parfait's going to go!"

--------------------------------------------

"You'll do _what?_" Ichigo couldn't believe what Parfait had just said. "You're going to _kill_ Kisshu if he doesn't choose you? Are you out of your mind?"

"Shut up, worthless human," Parfait spat, "or I'll unleash the Animals on you right now! Grade Six, remember – more powerful than anything that's ever been created before. Infusers merged with souls of the damned, and given the fact that they've been starving for months here in this cave-"

"Wait, stop!" Ichigo cried. She hoped that she's heard incorrectly. "Did you just say _souls of the damned?_ What does that mean? Are you talking about human souls?"

"No!" Parfait seemed beyond irritated that Ichigo didn't understand alien technology. "Our planet has plenty of lost souls to go around without stealing from this world. Useless creature," she added in disgust. Ichigo was still confused – but more than that, she was horrified. And most of all, above everything else…she was enraged.

How dare Parfait threaten Kisshu's life? How dare she threaten the Mews? Ichigo said loudly, "So you're planning to kill me no matter what, aren't you? What makes you think Kisshu would ever forgive you for that? And why did you start all of this anyway when you and Kisshu were supposedly such good friends back on your home planet? You don't really think he's going to love you after all this, do you?"

Parfait's face was practically white with rage. Ichigo knew she was speaking the truth, but Parfait was past all logic and reason. And now Ichigo was confident how Kisshu really felt about her – Parfait's mind games couldn't touch her anymore. She knew that Kisshu wouldn't forgive someone who tried to kill Ichigo. And the same went for her – Parfait had crossed an irrevocable line when she'd said she was going to kill him, and even as Ichigo was cold, wet, and wounded, she would fight till the death to protect the love that she had finally discovered between herself and Kisshu. She'd deined it for so long…kept him waiting for so long…hurt him…misunderstood him…and all this time, Parfait had just made things worse.

Ichigo's hands tightened into fists. This was it. No matter what it took, she was going to finish this, once and for all.

Parfait still hadn't spoken, so great was her rage. Finally, she sucked in a cold breath, and as she raised her hand abruptly into the air, let out a hiss. "No more questions," she seethed. Her eyes widened with maniac glee. "It's over for you – Mew Ichigo!"

It was the first time – the only time – Parfait had ever called Ichigo by her real name. But it didn't make a difference now – Ichigo braced herself, ready to face the army of Chimera Animals that were rattling so ferociously in their boxes. She couldn't imagine what they would look like – the lost, evil souls combined with Kisshu's new Infusers – or what kind of horror they could cause.

But this was about Earth, and about Kisshu. Protecting Earth, and protecting him. She was sure that if he were awake, he would be looking for her. Perhaps at this point, the Mews were searching for her right now. But she wasn't going to count on them coming in time – at lease, not before Parfait dropped her hand and unlocked the boxes. She knew that sometimes even a Mew had to work alone.

Still…it felt awful not having her friends here beside her…Lettuce, and Mint…Zakuro…and Pudding…

Her heart twisted, and suddenly she was filled with a renewed venom, a stronger rage. She'd almost forgotten that Parfait had hurt Pudding too. Ichigo's last look at Pudding had been of her eyelids fluttering over her big, golden eyes as she tried to focus on Tart's face. And poor Tart…Ichigo had rarely seen such a young, sad, terrified face as his. She knew what he'd felt – she herself had felt just as horrified that night when Kisshu had come home to the Café, weak and bleeding. She'd been sure that he was going to die. But then he'd spoken to her…and she'd realized how important she was to him. And how much he meant to her.

Ichigo summoned her Strawberry Bell with a surge of power – the air glowed blue around her, and she felt her body tingling with the energy. Her hair stood on end. Her face was tight with concentration.

Parfait immedietly recognized the power coming from Ichigo. Her face contorted in a mask of fear. In a moment of panic, she swept her hand down. Around her, Ichigo heard a multitude of locks snapping and breaking. The tops of the boxes clattered to the stone floor.

"They won't attack me!" Parfait screamed. "They know me as their master! As soon as they smell you, you won't stand a chance against them!"

A sudden, raspy hiss sounded behind Ichigo. She whirled around. Her eyes widened, in a combination of revulsion and horror.

Perhaps…they resembled….apes? They were humanoid in shape – with four limbs and a head – but their skin was slimy like the underbelly of a frog, and many of them had angry red patches of red, bumpy, hairy skin growing in odd places. Their faces were flat – Ichigo supposed this was where she'd gotten the impression of a monkey. But the more she studied them, the less she could catagorize them into a certain species. They were alien, after all.

But more than that, they were simply ugly. The most ugly, revolting things Ichigo had ever seen. But they also looked…frightening. Especially given the intensity in their eyes, and the way their jaws were salivating, and the evil that seemed to emenate from their glares. And there were so many of them – at least a hundred, if not more. Ichigo had no idea how she could beat them all. Was it even possible? Did she even stand a chance?

The red, irritated patches of skin were confusing her. As she took a hurried step away from the mass, she demanded, "What's wrong with their skin? Are they sick, or something?" It didn't look natural to her – not that these monsters were natural in any sense of the word. But still. The skin looked wrong, like a disease or something. Not to mention some of the monsters were picking at their own flesh…

Parfait said scathingly, "They've been in those boxes for months. Doubtless, the climate is getting to them."

Ichigo felt a wave of nausea and hatred wash over her. So Parfait had kept these things locked up like rabid dogs, just waiting to bring someone here for them to feast on? Now that it came down to it…

The smell of the seawater and the closed lids had concealed it, but when the boxes had burst open, a rancid, rotting smell had reached Ichigo's nose, forcing her to breathe through her mouth to keep from throwing up. Behind her, Parfait clicked her tongue.

"Seems that some of them have died…though I should tell you…in Kisshu's lab, they looked much better. Their skin has clearly reacted to the Earth climate in a rather unattractive way. And obviously, some of the weaker ones have died of starvation. But don't you worry – they're still stronger and more resilient than any Chimera Animals you've ever had to face before."

Ichigo clenched her teeth, then remembered she had to breathe. She was still backing up, but the Animals were advancing on her fast. It seemed the only thing stopping them from attacking her was fear – many of them glanced up at Parfait with wild, bloodshot eyes, as if they were afraid she was going to strike them.

Ichigo was amazed that Parfait could control them. She'd said that they were Grade Six – from what Ichigo had gathered, it had been Kisshu's strange ability to control Chimera Animals that had singled him out as a special child. Then again, these were his creation, and he had showed them to Parfait…maybe he had also divulged a way of controlling them. Or maybe, exactly like dogs, these months of cruelty and torture had trained them to submit to her rules, despite the fact that they might have been more powerful than she herself was. Under normal circumstances, perhaps Parfait wouldn't have been strong enough to control them. That could be the only explanation for why they weren't advancing on her now.

Ichigo's knees began to shake. The smell was getting to her. Plus the Animals were starting to make noises – awful, screechy sounds that made her hands fly up to flatten her ears. One of them shrilled out a high-pitched scream, bent its knees, and prepared to spring-

And then, behind Ichigo something exploded out of the pool of water. Flailing, Ichigo whirled around. Her heart leaped in her chest.

"Kisshu!"

"ICHIGO!" Sending drops of water flying everywhere, Kisshu swooped down to Ichigo, landing in front of her to block her off from the advancing Animals. The Animals stopped short, confused by this new authority. Even though Kisshu wasn't technically the one controlling them, there was something about the way he looked – his powerful stance, his two Dragon Swords clutched in each hand, his yellow eyes flashing – that stilled them on a basic, instinctual level. Ichigo felt a surge of relief.

But the Animals were still hungry, and after a moment recognized that more food had arrived. As they resumed a high-pitched keen, Kisshu looked back at Ichigo worriedly.

"Are you okay, Ichigo?"

"K-Kisshu-" Ichigo could barely get his name out, she was so happy to see him "you came!"

"Koneko-chan!" Kisshu turned a little enough so that one hand could reach around and catch hold of her face. Despite everything, Ichigo felt the heat rush to her cheeks. He looked perfectly fine – whole, healthy, well. She wondered if he was still hurting from the gash in his chest. If he was, he wasn't showing it – his eyes stayed focused on her.

"Of course I came!" Impatiently, Kisshu pushed his sopping bangs out of his eyes. "Didn't you know we'd come for you? I'm sorry we couldn't get here sooner!"

"Wait, we-?"

"Ichigo!" With another explosion, Tart shot out of the water like a cannon, toting Mint by his side instead of Pudding. Ichigo's throated tensed.

"Tart! Is Pudding?-"

"She's fine, worry about yourself!" Tart pointed at the Chimera Animals with one hand as he lowered Mint onto the ground. "Ew, they're gross!"

"You got that right!" Mint, already transformed into her Mew form, sprinted over to Ichigo, dodging out of the way as Pai and Lettuce entered into the cave. They were followed by Zakuro, Crumb, Soda, and Scone, who peeled off in different directions as the Animals realized that more food had arrived.

The screeches coming from the mass of Animals had risen, but for the moment, their voices seemed to dim, as Ichigo stared into Kisshu's eyes. She was so thankful that he was here with her, that he had come to her, that they were together in the midsts of all this.

Kisshu's eyes softened as he shared the same feeling.

"Ichigo…"

One of his thumbs curled under her chin, stroking her as he would a cat. He grinned down at her. "I don't know how long we can hold them off – but we'll do this together! I'm not letting you out of my sight again."

"Okay," Ichigo agreed. But then the moment was shattered when a cluster of the hideous Chimera Animals gave a collective screech and dove at them.

Faster than blinking, Kisshu swept Ichigo into his arms and flew up into the air. He laughed. "Cripes, Ichigo, you're heavy, you know!"

"Knock it off!" Ichigo groaned. She'd heard that one before.

Below them, the others had squared off, battling five to seven Animals each – all except for Pai. Though he had Lettuce nearby, he had taken on Parfait himself, and the two of them were exchanging attacks that caused chunks of rock to rip off of the walls and ceiling. For a dreadful moment, Ichigo wondered what would happen if the whole cave collapsed on them. Would they be crushed first, or would they drown? Would the aliens be able to teleport? It didn't seem so – Ichigo wasn't sure if they could teleport underwater. Otherwise, wouldn't Parfait have done so instead of getting wet when she dragged Ichigo to the cave?

"Hey, koneko-chan?"

Ichigo looked up. "What is it?"

"Cats always land on their feet, right?"

Ichigo blinked. "Huh? Wha-?"

Without a second thought, Kisshu swung his arms back and heaved. "Attack them from the other side when I tell ya to!"

Ichigo barely heard him – she was too busy shrieking as she flew through the air across the length of the cave – Kisshu had literally thrown her, and despite the fact that her landing was fine, she couldn't help but glare at him.

"A little warning next time would be nice!" she shouted, brandishing her Strawberry Bell at him. She heard him chuckle.

"Ready, Ichigo? One…two…_three!_"

Ichigo let forth a blast with her weapon, sending a cloud of sparkling, rainbow-colored energy into a swarm of Chimera Animals. From their other side, Kisshu shot a ball of fire from the tips of his two swords. To Ichigo's dismay, most of the Animals were fast enough to dodge it, and the ones that weren't fast enough didn't seem affected by the blasts. Parfait was right - they were a lot stronger than anything Ichigo had ever dealt with.

And faster too – one of the Animals was in front of her before she could register it had even moved. It smacked her across the face and, with a scream, sent her flying into the wall where she barely managed to block her face with her forearms. She collapsed onto the floor, her skin scraped and bleeding.

"Ichigo!"

Ichigo looked up and gasped. Kisshu was surrounded by at least fifteen or twenty of the Animals – they had formed a mass around him. He looked as if he were drowning in their bodies. Even though she could see how much he was struggling, it didn't look like he was strong enough on his own to beat them off. Panicking, Ichigo looked around, and her eyes widened in horror at what she saw.

Her friends were losing. There were simply too many of them, and Ichigo's teammates weren't strong enough. Even Pai had been distracted from fighting with Parfait by the Animals that had attacked him. Ichigo saw Lettuce also struggling in a sea of slimy bodies. A few feet away from her, Zakuro and Mint were pressed back to back, with the Animals squeezing in on them from all sides. And by the pool…

Ichigo gasped. "Tart!"

Tart's cheek was bleeding badly – one of the Animals had cut him. Another had its fingers – bony, clammy-looking fingers – wrapped around Tart's neck. It was putting more and more pressure on Tart's neck, and Ichigo was afraid that if the Animal wasn't stopped, it would squeeze hard enough to snap Tart's spine. Ichigo leapt to her feet and took a running jump at the animal.

"HEY! Leave – him – ALONE!"

With a square kick to the head, Ichigo knocked the Animal clean of its feet, wrenching its grip off Tart's neck. Tart collapsed on the ground, weak from the pressure that had nearly crushed his bones. Ichigo took up a defensive stance, guarding him from the onslaught.

They leaped at her. She struck at one, but then another came up from the side and sunk a claw into her shoulder. Soon, Ichigo was surrounded, just like her friends. She and Tart were trapped in the middle of the mass. Their stinking, rotten smell made Ichigo sick to her stomach.

"KISSHU!"

Ichigo was surprised to hear Pai's voice. She twisted around, trying to fight the Animals and see through them at the same time. Even though Pai was quickly becoming overwhelmed, the look of pure panic on his face wasn't in regards to his own situation – rather, he was staring across the cave at something else. Ichigo followed his gaze.

Kisshu had something clutched in his hand. Even as he was being taken under by a swarm of the slimy Chimera Animals, he kept the glowing, pulsating thing tight in his fist. Ichigo recognized it at once as an Infuser – the jelly-fish tentacles gave it away. She wondered if he'd conjured it on the spot.

She heard Pai's voice again behind her. "Kisshu, no! Don't do this, you don't know what will happen!"

"I have to!" Kisshu yelled. "It's the only way!"

"KISSHU, NO!"

Pai's voice had risen beyond anything Ichigo had ever heard before – it was more than panic. It was fear for Kisshu's life. Ichigo was afraid; she'd never seen Pai lose control like this before.

She looked back at Pai – his face was contorted in pain, and he was trashing more desprately than ever against the Animals. He begged again, "Kisshu! Please!"

Kisshu looked down, away from him. His eyes closed.

"It'll be all right. Promise."

He raised his hand high, the Infuser held tight in his fist. Pai continued to scream.

"NO, DON'T KISSHU!"

With a sickening plunge, Kisshu smashed the Infuser into his chest. A red light exploded. It reminded Ichigo of blood.

"KISSHU!"

**...lol, the last chapter ended this same way, didn't it? I will update the next chapter soon! **

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~***


	24. Chapter 24: The One She Loved

**Hey Guys! Merry Christmas to everyone, and here I have the second to last chapter of this epic, three-headed hydra story! Honestly, it was only supposed to be ten to twelve chapters, but it just sort of kept going and going. I apologize because this chapter really is quite short compared to the others, but it was an ideal stopping place and sets up the final chapter for a good ending. (READ: ideal stopping place=another cliffhanger, unfortunetly).**

**Anyways, here you are, and thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews!!!**

Chapter Twenty-Four: The One She Loved

"_Soon…might it be time for me to dream as well?"_

- Pai-san, Tokyo Mew Mew, Episode 51

Kisshu's body contorted in the air – the red, circular glow lit his features. The entire cave stood dead with shock. Even the Animals seemed too frightened by the transformation to move. They could sense something was coming – something greater, more powerful, than any they'd seen yet. Pai let out a low groan of despair.

Ichigo cried out in shock. "Tart! What's happening?"

Tart was trembling at her feet, his yellow eyes huge. "No, no, no...K-Kish!" he wailed. "Ichigo, he turned himself into a Chimera Animal!"

Ichigo felt the air leave her lungs. Had she heard correctly? Had Tart just said that Kisshu was becoming…one of his own creations?

"No – it can't be," she gasped, choking on the words. "Wh-why would he do that?"

"It's the only way to beat the Chimera Animals," Tart cried. "But he might not be able to go back!" His voice rose into a howl of pain, and he screamed, "H-he might be stuck that way forever!"

"No way!" Ichigo cried. She gazed up at the red light in horror. No! No, this couldn't be happening again! It was so awful, how familiar the situation was…

Two years ago, Aoyama-kun had changed into a monster right before her eyes. With a surge of blue light, he had morphed into Deep Blue, a creature powerful enough and evil enough to destroy the entire planet. Deep Blue hadn't cared about the humans at all, only about satisfying his own greed. What's more, he hadn't intended on saving the alien's planet at all.

Was Kisshu about to suffer the same fate by his own hand? Had he just turned himself into a monster?

"Ichigo!" Tart's voice jolted her. "Something's happening to him, look!"

Ichigo's throat clenched. She could see what he meant. Something was happening to Kisshu. His body…it was changing. A thrill of horror shot through her body.

He was growing taller – by at least six inches, she estimated. His shoulders were becoming more broad; the muscles in his chest and shoulders bulged, shredding his shirt so that it hung in rags on his body. He was screaming. His hands were clenched into tight fists, but then he let them go because his already lengthy nails were stretching into long, white claws that curved sickeningly into sharp points. His legs grew longer, so that the hems of his shorts ripped and frayed. And his skin…his hair…Ichigo covered her mouth to keep from gasping.

His greenish-hair, which he usually kept shoulder length, was thickening into a massive, black, inky mane that fell down to his muscular waist. Long black stripes began to cross over his skin, like tattoos, sprinkled with small black spots that gave him the look of a wild jungle cat. His pointy teeth elongated into sharper, more lethal fangs. His eyes glowed like golden beacons, and his slit-like pupils rolled madly in his head as he continued to shriek with pain. On the ground, where he'd dropped them with a clatter, his two Dragon Swords shuddered in the reddish light. They, like his teeth, began to grow longer, so that their center prongs stretched to that of a full-length samauri sword.

Abruptly, his voice deepened to a strange, guttural roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the wall. It was like standing next to a lion. Cowering in fear, Ichigo sank to her knees and instinctively shadowed Tart with her body. The creature that had been Kisshu was writhing in the red sphere with such ferocity that she was terrified the real Kisshu inside didn't even exist anymore.

Ichigo's knees were shaking. She glanced over at the others. The Animals were beginning to sense the threat, and they were looking at each other with a sort of speechless collaboration. It seemed they were going to try and attack him as a group, and hopefully bring him down with their numbers. The Animals who had been attacking the Mews and the aliens turned away, leaving their quarry to stare dumbly up above.

At last, the glow subsided, and dropped Kisshu to the ground. Immediately, his clawed hands grabbed the handles of his massive Dragon Swords. For a moment, he didn't move from his crouched position. A few scraps of his shirt fell away from his huge, muscled chest. He looked around, his eyes containing an expression that Ichigo wasn't sure she'd ever seen before. It seemed so feral – so wild, and bestial.

Ichigo was sure everyone could feel the power emanating from him. The sheer, massive, undeniable power…Ichigo saw Pai had moved to stand in front of Lettuce, his stance defensive, blocking her from the unknown danger. Tart trembled beneath Ichigo, saying with a terrified squeak, "K-K-Kish-"

Ichigo felt tears sliding down her cheeks. Was Kisshu still in there? Was this beast still the one she loved, or had Kisshu just changed himself for good?

With an ear-splitting screech, the Animals dove. The monstrous Kisshu, in a motion that seemed too fast for his size, raised both swords and slashed through the bodies in one ravenous stroke. Ichigo let out a scream, shocked and afraid. Kisshu whirled around at the sound of her voice.

His bright, fiery eyes stared her down – she quailed under their ferocity, but she stayed where she was, trying to protect Tart. Kisshu, in a deep, growling voice that sounded nothing like his own, spoke the command:

"_Finish them_."

The Animals were screaming – both those that had been sliced in half, and those who were still whole. Bending his knees, Kisshu sprang into the air as they dove at him, and as he whirled in a deadly triple-flip, Ichigo finally registered what Kisshu had told her to do. Maybe there was still hope – maybe it was really still him inside.

Clenching her jaw in determination, she tightened her grip on her Strawberry Bell and got up from the ground. In slicing the Chimera Animals, Kisshu had weakened them to the point that Ichigo's Strawberry Bell could successfully separate the souls from their binding organism.

Spinning through the air, she shot a blast of the Bell at the twitching creatures on the ground. Immedietly, their bodies glowed bright red, and their chests convulsed as the souls broke free of their mortal encasements. Suddenly Pai sprang into action.

"Everyone, catch the souls! We cannot allow them to escape!" The souls were like reddish phantoms of human bodies – there had clear appendages and heads, but no details to their faces. Pai flared his fan-like weapon, and sent a tunnel of wind after one of the souls. The winds ensnared the soul, binding it like coils of rope. Behind her, Ichigo heard Tart take up the call as well.

"C'mon, guys, hurry! Compact them with your powers so they turn back into beads of light!" Faster than blinking, Tart teleported and reappeared behind Parfait, who during this entire time had remained completely frozen in horror and shock at what Kisshu had done. He snatched the vial from the string around her neck, and yanked so hard that the string snapped. Parfait snarled and took a swipe at him, but he darted away before she could touch him.

Catching on, the rest of the Mews and the aliens split up to catch the souls that were now streaming around the cave as Kisshu mauled the masses and Ichigo separated them. It didn't take much, once they were separated, to compact them again – Zaukro's whip wrapped around them like a curl of purple lightening, and the energy made the soul seem almost to dissolve as it shrank. Mint's arrow pierced them against the wall of the cave, and as they shuddered and jerked violently, they shrank until, as a tiny spot of red light, they could be picked up and put back in the vial that Tart had tossed to Lettuce to hold. Tart himself was like a demon, whirling the deadly, metallic spheres with dexterous fingers and wrapping the silver chain around the souls' throats.

Ichigo felt her heart lift slightly. Would they be able to defeat all the Animals without any casualties? The thought seemed too good to be true…except that…

She turned around to look at Kisshu. He was ripping one of the Animals apart with his bare hands, his claws sunk deep into its flesh. Ichigo cried out in shock and shut her eyes as the Animals split apart, unable to stomach the sight of its gory innards splattering the cave walls. When she had the courage to open them again, she saw Kisshu's arms were drenched in blood up to his elbows.

Her heart sickened at the sight. Was it too late? Was he really a monster? He had spoken to her once, but the way he was fighting…was so gory and unnecessarily violent. Was he enjoying this? Did he like the feel of killing the Animals?

Ichigo gasped as a swarm of Animals pounced on Kisshu, more determined than ever to bring him down. For a moment, Ichigo couldn't see Kisshu under the slimy bodies.

"Kisshu!" she gasped. Then, she spied something out of the corner of her eye.

Parfait, who had been lurking behind the crowd and hiding from Pai, had snuck out in the midsts of all the chaos and was inching toward the massive pile of Animals that was now stampeding upon Kisshu. Her dagger was drawn, and her face was taut with fear and rage.

Ichigo realized what Parfait was going to do as soon as Parfait raised her arm to throw the weapon. "NO!" Ichigo began to run toward Parfait. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She leaped.

Parfait heaved.

Kisshu flung an Animal away from him, heard someone scream, and looked around. As he turned, a spray of blood hit him in the face.

He wiped his eyes with a clawed hand. It wasn't Animal blood – the smell was different. He lifted his bloody hand to his nose and sniffed lightly. Then his yellow eyes darted around. They fell upon something huddled on the ground.

All the breath left his lungs as he gazed down at the pink-haired girl on the ground. She was breathing heavily, her shoulder slumped.

The glistening point of Parfait's dagger was sticking out of her back. It had gone clean through her chest. The entire world seemed, for a moment, to stop spinning.

Heaving, Ichigo turned slowly to look up into his eyes. Her eyes were glistening, like crystals atop pink satin. "K-Kisshu," she whispered. Kisshu could barely hear her. "We're…we're…even now."

She fell forward, collapsing onto the cold rock floor.

"ICHIGO!"

Nothing else mattered. Kisshu flung himself next to Ichigo, sweeping her up into his arms. Her eyes were half-shut, glazed over and unfocused. Growling ferally in his throat, Kisshu wrenched the knife out of her body, causing her to gasp and for her whole body to spasm.

"_Ichigo…_" His voice was rough, guttural. She was so small in his arms. He cradled her easily, even though her body was a dead weight. Her breath came out in shudders. He stared down at her, horror radiating through every part of his body.

"_Ichigo…no…_"

A soft groan escaped her lips. Her head lolled back, and he caught it in one large hand.

Her eyelashes fluttered. "Kisshu…" She smiled, but it was a strain. "Is it really…still you?"

Kisshu's yellow eyes widened. Ichigo gulped slowly, still smiling up at him. But then, her face fell into a grimace of pain, and she let out a soft gasp. Her body jerked, and Kisshu's arm grew wet with her blood.

Then Ichigo went limp in his arms. And she lay there, while Kisshu held her to his chest, as still as one of the dead.

**I'm going to do my best to end this story by New Years! So don't worry, I will definetly finish it! I won't leave the story hanging.**

**Thank you all so much, very sincerely, for reading this far. Without all your encouragement and support and kind words, I would never have had the motivation to write such a story as this. Hopefully this has been a good TMM story for everyone and my wish is that the characters are real representations from the original story and that I have done them justice.**

**My best to you all! I can never thank you enough for reading my work! **

***~Suki~***


	25. Chapter 25: I Belong to You

**Guess what? I FINISHED THE STORY!!! This is the last chapter of "I Belong to You!" I can't believe it, it's actually finished! A total of 132 pages! YAHOO! **

**Anyways, more importantly, I want to thank all of my wonderful readers - you know who you are! - for journeying with me through this story. Doesn't matter if you were there from the beginning or from just the previous chapter - I thank you all so very much for giving me your encouragement and the motivation to finish this story! Thank you to you all!**

**A few more notes before I present to you the LAST CHAPTER: It is a bit rushed. I procrastinated and wrote the latter half of this in about an hour and ten minutes. Nevertheless, I was determined to finish this by New Year's Eve, and darnit, I may be a few minutes late but it's close enough! So I apologize that the ending is hurried, but I had to tie up all the loose ends and not go on for five more pages at the same time! So hopefully it's not too bad, but I apologize in advance if you are even the least bit disappointed. It's my fault for waiting until the last minute!**

**And now, without anymore commentary from me...HERE IS THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE EPIC KISSHU AND ICHIGO LOVE SAGA! PLEASE ENJOY AND THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!**

Chapter Twenty-Five: I Belong To You

_"Ichigo…"_ Kisshu dipped his head and gently nuzzled Ichigo's cheek. It was still warm. Her heart was fluttering – a weak, insubstantial pulse. Kisshu was more furious than panicked, and it occurred to him that in this form, anger was his overriding emotion. He was driven by some blinding rage, which was why he had been so eager to rip and tear through those Chimera Animals. Never mind swords – anyone who tried to hurt Ichigo deserved a painful death of being shredded to pieces by his claws.

But fighting wouldn't save her now – he had to think of something, or Ichigo would die. His heart wrenched painfully at the idea, and his mind raced as it fought against his urge to go take care of Parfait first. Ichigo was more important right now. He need to concentrate on what he could do to save her.

There was only one option – another taboo crime, according to the laws of his people. It was just as dangerous as transforming oneself into a Chimera Animal, and it was forbidden for anyone to attempt it. It almost always resulted in death.

But Kisshu would not lose her. He would _not _lose Ichigo. Not when she was the only one in the entire universe that he wanted to spend his life with. He was not going to give her up without trying everything in his power to save her. And if he acted quickly, and did what he needed to do…there was a chance…that they might both make it out, as themselves, in one piece.

Gently, as if he were handling a baby, Kisshu kneeled down and laid Ichigo on the ground. Her chest was barely moving – her warm, sticky blood coated his skin. Ignoring the gaping wound in her chest – quite similar to the one he'd suffered perhaps a day earlier - Kisshu held her face in his hands and whispered, in his strange, new bestial voice, _"Ichigo…listen to me."_

Ichigo's eyelashes fluttered, and then her eyes just barely opened. She was holding onto life for him. Kisshu was sure of it. That was why she hadn't died as soon as the knife pierced her.

He leaned in close to her ear. _"Just relax. I'm going to save you."_

Ichigo didn't respond. Kisshu leaned away, and stretched out his arm, his fingers spread wide, and focused on the bleeding hole in her chest.

A white glow illuminated his hand, and soon, Ichigo's body was connected to the light, which pulsed in circular waves. Kisshu felt it coming loose. It was easy, since she was so close to death. And besides that, she was letting him. It was so much more difficult to do this when the person was resistant.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Mint demanded.

"Why are you taking her soul?" Lettuce cried.

Kisshu knew that the Mews didn't understand. But then he heard Pai's sharp intake of breath, and knew that Pai had figured out what Kisshu was doing.

Tart was still confused and scared. "Are you going to turn her into an Animal too?" he cried. The Mews reacted instantly.

"No way, we won't let you do that!" Mint cried, running toward Kisshu and intent on stopping him. Lettuce also took a step forward, but Pai caught her arm abruptly and pulled her back.

Lettuce tried to squirm out of his grasp. "Pai, let go-!"

"It's the only way to save her now." Pai's iron grip on her arm didn't loosen. She could almost feel it bruising. "In fact, it's quite likely that he will give up his own life to save hers, if they do not separate in time."

"Separate?" Lettuce's wide eyes gazed fearfully into Pai's. "What's going on? What's he doing to her?"

Meanwhile, Zakuro was forcibly holding Mint back, and telling her in a loud, commanding voice, "No, Mint, we have to trust that Kisshu is trying to save her-"

"But he's taking her soul! He's taking her soul out of her body!"

_"I won't turn her."_ Kisshu's fiery eyes rested on the struggling Mint. Mint stopped abruptly, seeming intimidated by the ferocity in his voice. _"She's going to stay with me."_

Mint looked confused, but with this new information, Tart finally understood. He squeaked, "No way, Kish, you might die if you don't get her out in time!"

_"Then we'll have to work quickly."_ His yellow eyes cut across to Parfait, who was staring at Kisshu with nothing but hate and fear. Kisshu's rage fired up inside him at the sight of her. She was responsible for hurting Ichigo. Nothing else mattered to him except saving Ichigo, and destroying Parfait. In that order.

Finally, he managed to ease her soul from her body. It gravitated into his hand as a white ball of light. As long as it had a vessel to bind with, it would be able to stay in this world. But there was no way Kisshu was going to accomplish that by making Ichigo into a Chimera Animal. He had sworn that he would never do that to another human soul again, and he meant it.

Which left only one other choice. Taking a deep breath, he held the white ball tight in one hand, and then, as he had with the Infuser earlier, drove it into his chest.

"Oh!" Lettuce gasped. Pai wrapped an arm around her shoulders and instinctively drew her closer to him. His eyes were cold and hard as he stared at his best friend. Never had an alien mutated their body so much as Kisshu had today. Not only did he have an Infuser inside him, but now he had another soul as well. If two souls stayed in the same body for too long…the body would be destroyed, and the souls would both be expelled from this world. Pai knew this, and yet he knew his friend loved Ichigo far too much to let her die, even if it meant possibly destroying himself.

Kisshu doubled over, his mouth opening in a silent scream that bared his long, white fangs. He felt a huge, painful pressure in his chest, as if something inside him were trying to rip him apart from the inside. Then, after a few moments, the pain subsided to a dull ache. His breath came out labored, but at least he could still breathe. For now, his body could tolerate the intrusion. But only for a few moments. He had to move fast.

He looked over at Lettuce, Mint, and Zakuro. _"Take Ichigo's body back. Bring it to Ryou and Keiichiro." _He turned to the furious, flabbergasted Parfait. _"I'll come back with Ichigo after I finish here."_

Zakuro nodded her head once. "Hai."

Mint waved at Crumb, Soda, and Scone. "Come on, you guys, help us take her back."

The three aliens acted right away, though they were just as dumbfounded as everyone else at what Kisshu had done. Ichigo's body was stiff and a vivid blue. When Lettuce took her hand, it was cold as ice.

"Let's hurry," Lettuce said. "The body needs more blood." It felt very strange saying "the body" instead of "Ichigo," but now the real Ichigo was with Kisshu. All they could do was repair her body so that it would survive when she entered it again.

"Bet Shirogane and Keiichiro have never had to repair an uninhabited body before," Mint mumbled under her breath, helping the others to hoist the body. It was much heavier than usual.

Lettuce glanced over at Pai and Tart, whom she knew were staying behind. Her eyes pleaded of Pai to come back safely. His eyes softened as he returned her gaze, and he bowed his head once to acknowledge her.

Turning, Lettuce took a deep breath, and all of them plunged into the pool of frigid water, leaving Kisshu and his friends to take on Parfait and bring Ichigo back home safely.

-------------------------------------------------

Ichigo noticed, as soon as the gained consciousness, that she wasn't cold anymore. In fact, the temperature was quite warm and pleasant. What's more, her clothes weren't wet anymore, and she wasn't lying on a hard surface. It was very comfortable, and she wished that she could just go back to sleep.

But she was too curious to do that. She opened her eyes.

It looked as if she were inside a cloud. Was she…in heaven? It was so bright and warm here, Ichigo was sure that must be it. Had she died? Was she…no longer on Earth anymore?

Slowly, Ichigo sat up, staring around her. It was very quiet, and the misty shrouds around her were moving very slowly, as if stirred by a gentle wind. If this was heaven…it seemed to be quite empty. Ichigo frowned – what kind of a heaven had no angels in it?

So then…if this wasn't heaven…then where was she? And what…what was she wearing?

She certainly wasn't in her Mew form anymore. She was just Ichigo, with her red hair hanging down a little past her shoulders, no cat ears or tail. And she was clothed in what looked like beautiful white rags – insubstantial wisps of silk that wrapped around her body softly, as smooth and airy as the clouds that surrounded her. What's more, her skin was pale, and as soft as a baby's. In wonder, she ran a hand up the opposite arm, fascinated by the sheer sleekness. Then, from somewhere behind her, she heard a low chuckle.

"Heh…have I ever told you how cute you look when you're confused, koneko-chan?"

Ichigo whirled around, her garments swirling around her. Kisshu was standing just a few feet away. His arms were crossed, and he was smirking. He was back in his normal form again.

"Kisshu!" Ichigo sprang up from the ground. Without hesitation, she ran over to him and dove into his arms. Kisshu engulfed her in an embrace, drawing her into his chest. Ichigo snuggled closer, so thankful that he'd become himself again.

But then she realized something wasn't right. She gasped. "Kisshu!" she exclaimed. "Your heart's not beating! Are-are we dead?"

Kisshu laughed, and with one hand, began to stroke her red hair. "We're souls, Ichigo," he said. "We don't need hearts pumping oxygen to lungs. We _are_ the essence of hearts. Not the physical, but the spiritual kind."

Ichigo felt relieved, though still very confused. "So…then we're still alive on Earth, right?"

"Sure we are. There's no way that I was going to let you die."

A light went off in Ichigo's head. "That's right!" she exclaimed. "Parfait stabbed me-"

"You mean you jumped in front of me to save me," Kisshu corrected. His chest shook slightly as he gave another low laugh. "You baka. What were you thinking? I transformed so that I could-"

"Now I remember!" Ichigo drew back her fist. "What's the matter with you?!"

Kisshu gave her a blank look. "Eh?"

Without a second thought, Ichigo punched him in the gut. Doubling over, Kisshu had no choice but to endure Ichigo's rage.

"Why'd you turn yourself into a Chimera Animal? You had no idea what could've happened! Don't you know how messed up it is to change your appearance like that? Think about Aoyama-kun and Deep Blue! I was so worried while you were changing, about how you might become someone else, or worse, you might not be able to change back!"

Even though Ichigo was shouting at him, Kisshu still seemed to be laughing. As Ichigo paused, confused, Kisshu straightened up and took a step forward, unafraid of her anger.

"I'm sorry, koneko-cahn," Kisshu said. Even after Ichigo's rant, he was still smiling. "I know you were probably scared. And I know that I took a huge risk – it's never been attempted before, or at least if it was then there's no record of it."

"Waaaahhh! You baka! You shouldn't have done something so dangerous," Ichigo said, crossing her arms and scowling at him. Kisshu's smile widened. Ichigo's irritation lessened slightly with the relief she felt at seeing his teeth their normal size as well. Not to mention he didn't have those hideous claws, and he wasn't dripping with blood…

Finally, Ichigo said stiffly, "You were…awfully violent, you know."

Kisshu grimaced. He actually seemed embarrassed. "Yeah, er, well…it seems that in my Chimera Animal form I'm a lot more…uh, bloodthirsty. I wasn't sure that I would even be able to think like myself. But your voice…" Kisshu's eyes met her's. He finished, in a much quieter voice than normal, "…brought me to my senses. It made me remember my purpose. What I was fighting for."

Ichigo heard a steely intensity in his voice that he didn't use very often. He was much calmer in his spirit form. Ducking her head, she turned away in an attempt to conceal her small smile. The unusual seriousness made her a little embarrassed, but pleased. Her anger seemed to be dissipating. It was hard to stay angry for long in such a beautiful, airy place, especially when really, she was just relieved that they were both still alive.

She finally ventured, "So…remind me why exactly we're spirits?"

Kisshu smiled warmly. "Right now, you and I are sharing my body."

"WWWAAAAHHHHH?!"

He laughed again at Ichigo's expression. "Truthfully, this is just as much a crime as turning myself into a Chimera – ah!"

"Ouch!" Ichigo cried. She had suddenly, for one brief moment, felt an enormous pressure on her entire being. But the pain was quick, and as it died away, Ichigo was left with a dull aching sensation. She glanced up at Kisshu, only to find that he also wore a grimace of pain.

"Sorry," Kisshu said. His yellow eyes begged Ichigo to understand. "It's not natural for two souls to share the same body. If we don't get you back in your body soon, my body will explode from the pressure of us combined."

"What?" Ichigo gasped. "You mean you would die?"

"So we have to hurry," Kisshu said. The intensity was creeping back into his voice again. "I have to take care of Parfait. Please, I promise everything will be all right. Just wait here for me." He turned, the white, filmy garments he wore so much like Ichigo's swirling around him. He started to walk away.

Ichigo dove for him. "Kisshu!" She reached out and snatched up his hand.

Stunned, Kisshu looked down, where her fingers were curved over his. Then his gaze traveled up to her face. Trembling, Ichigo gripped his fingers even tighter and said;

"Let me fight with you."

Kisshu's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Are you sure?"

"Hai." Ichigo gave him a tentative smile. "After all…you're mine, Kisshu-kun. And I belong to you. I want us to be together from now on. I want us to-"

Kisshu didn't let her finish before he yanked her into his arms, dipping his head down to engulf her in a kiss. It completely took Ichigo's breath away. His kiss was full of feeling, and pure emotion. She could feel it in the way his hand gripped the small of her back, and the way his fingers curled into her hair – the soft sound that reverberated from deep in his throat as he voiced his complete satisfaction. Ichigo stood up on her toes, twining her arms around his shoulders and feeling herself lift with giddiness and joy. They were together now. Finally, after all this time, finally they were together.

When they separated, Kisshu gave another smile that exposed his pointy teeth. "Take my hands," he told her. She did as he asked, pleased at how wonderful it felt to touch him. Kisshu told her, "Now close your eyes, and concentrate on filling up this space with your presence. It will allow you to semi-possess me so that you can direct your powers out through me."

Ichigo concentrated – she didn't even need to frown to do so. It seemed to almost come naturally, this feeling of one-ness. All of the sudden, she felt bigger than herself, as if she had just filled a huge void and was in control of a vast wellspring of power. When she opened her eyes, she received a huge shock.

A dark, dirty, furious Parfait was staring at her, anger and hatred etched into every line of her face. Ichigo gasped. "Kisshu! What's going on?"

Even though Ichigo couldn't see him anymore, she heard Kisshu laugh. The sound echoed through her ears. "You're seeing through my eyes," Kisshu said. "Try to channel your Mew Powers through my fingers. Parfait's about to attack us, so be ready."

Ichigo braced herself. "Okay."

Sure enough, the beautiful, hideous Parfait gave a blood-curdling shriek and dove at them, screaming wildly, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU!"

Kisshu dodged as Parfait lunged at him with her dagger. Ichigo felt the movement, and felt the way that the spirit and the body were working together. Just as this occurred to her, another terrible spasm of pressure washed over her. Kisshu's cry of pain echoed in her ears. "Kisshu! Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm okay," Kisshu assured her. "Just try and help me get rid of this bitch."

Ichigo nodded. No matter what, they had to defeat Parfait before Ichigo could get out of Kisshu's body. She clenched her hands into fists and concentrated on summoning her Mew Power.

Out of nowhere, it seemed, Kisshu's hands, which had been holding his swords, exploded with an erratic pinkish light that spat out at Parfait and caused her to fall over shrieking in pain. Ichigo gasped.

"That's your power, Ichigo," Kisshu reminded her. "Us aliens get pretty banged up when we get hit with a direct blast of that stuff."

"Oh, right," Ichigo said. She did remember hitting Kisshu and the other aliens a few times with her full power. They'd always ended up retreating. Ichigo came back into focus again, and tried to make her power go through again.

Kisshu spun, his swords flashing through the air, as Parfait ducked and dove around them. Her small dagger couldn't compare to his long swords, and the ever-increasing amount of panic on her face made Ichigo's passion toward her destruction grow less and less. When she was this scared, Parfait looked just as young and sad as she had in those memories. She looked like a scared little girl who'd seen someone she loved turn on her. Even though Ichigo continued to blast out her power in erratic explosions from Kisshu's fingertips, she couldn't help but feel worse and worse for treating Parfait this way. And worse…

Parfait had finally been backed up into a corner of the cave. She was panting heavily, her hair free of its ties and hanging loose and ragged down her back. Her lovely face was angry and defiant, and even though she was cornered, she still looked just as ready to scratch Kisshu with her nails and keep fighting.

Kisshu's voice boomed out externally. _"I will never forgive you for what you've done to Ichigo."_

Inside, Ichigo felt herself shudder. She'd almost forgotten that Kisshu was a Chimera Animal on the outside. That thick, guttural voice didn't sound like him at all. Worse, it sounded like a monster. Suddenly, Ichigo was seized with an irrational fear, a desire for Parfait's life to be spared. She didn't want Parfait to be ripped to shreds by this monster-Kisshu, this beast, who had no love or understanding for Parfait and her suffering.

"Ichigo."

Ichigo heard Kisshu's voice next to her ear. "Hai?"

"Close your eyes. I don't want you to see this."

Ichigo felt arms wrap around her shoulders, pulling her into an infinite warmth. She put her hands up to cover her ears, and she turned around so that she could bury her head into Kisshu's chest, sheltering her from the outside, where she was sure, Parfait was screaming.

-----------------------------

Gasping painfully, Kisshu pulled his sword out of the corpse with difficulty. It tumbled unceremoniously onto the cold, wet stone. Without looking at the face, Kisshu turned away.

The cave was completely empty, except for his two friends. Tart was gripping the vial full of souls as if his life depended on it, shaking from head to foot. Even Pai looked quite stunned. He didn't even bother trying to hide his feelings.

Kisshu stumbled over to them. He cried out, gripping his heart, as another surge of pressure raced through his chest. He looked up at his friends and gasped, "Help…help me!"

As his friends rushed in, Kisshu's entire body shattered in pain. He screamed.

"_Ichigo…ICHIGO!"_

------------------------------------------------

Was that…sunlight? How could it be? Was she really dead this time?

No…she couldn't be…not when she felt so incredibly _sore_. Blearily, Ichigo opened her eyes, trying to make sense of what she saw.

A pair of golden eyes stared down at her, soaking up every inch of her face. Ichigo recognized them immediately. Her face broke out into a sleepy smile.

"Kisshu," she said hoarsely.

Kisshu smiled. "Morning, koneko-chan." Lazily, he floated down from where he'd been hovering and stretched out beside her on the bed. He was back to his normal form again.

And apparently, so was she. Which explained the soreness all over her body, and especially the numbness in her chest. Slowly, it was all coming back to Ichigo. The fight, Parfait, what Kisshu had done to save her…

"Kisshu," she asked, reaching up with one hand and rubbing her eyes. "What happened after you…after Parfait…?"

Kisshu reached out and laced his fingers through hers, giving her his trademark grin. "We came back here, of course. Ryou and Keiichiro had fixed up your body enough so that it was safe to put you back in here. You've been sleeping for two days since then."

Ichigo nodded sluggishly. "And you're back to normal too, huh?"

"Yup. Got the Infuser out of my chest."

Ichigo gripped his hand tighter. "Don't ever do that again, okay?"

"I won't. I'll be lucky enough not to get thrown in jail when I get back."

"Would they really do that?" Ichigo asked, worry creasing her brow. Kisshu shrugged.

"Dunno. Maybe if the guys don't rat me out I can keep it a secret." Kisshu winked. Ichigo suddenly remembered.

"Kisshu! How is everybody else? Pudding? And Tart? Lettuce, and Pai? Mint, Zakuro-san-?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, calm down, koneko-chan!" Kisshu tapped her playfully on the nose. "I'll tell you everything. Right now, Tart is using his plant manipulation skills to grow flowers outside the Café – and also, I'm thinking, to grow a bouquet to give to Pudding, who is sitting with him outside. She doesn't have quite all of her energy back, but she's pretty bouncy and just as hyper as ever."

Ichigo smiled. "Well, that's good."

Kisshu nodded. A smirk crept up onto his face. "Pai and Lettuce are sitting under a tree together. Reading some book. I didn't ask what it was about, they looked way too into each other for me to be interested. In any case, I haven't seen Pai look so relaxed in a long time, so I guess Lettuce is doing some good for him."

"They are so good together," Ichigo said happily. Her heart swelled with happiness for her friend. "And what about the others?"

"Ryou, Keiichiro, Crumb, Soda, and Scone are in the kitchen right now," Kisshu explained. "Talking about data or something stupid like that. Zakuro went back to work, and Mint has some kind of dance performance to go to."

Ichigo smiled. Hai, they did indeed have lives outside of being Mews. At least, Ichigo used to, before Kisshu and the others returned to Earth. Now her life seemed to be all blended together, all the parts mixing into one. But Ichigo was okay with that now. As long as Kisshu was here with her, she could get along just fine as both a Mew and a normal high school girl.

"Ah!" Kisshu said suddenly. He looked as though he'd just been struck by inspiration. "That reminds me! I forgot to tell you, the enemy aliens have temporarily left Earth!"

"Eh?" Ichigo asked in shock. "What? Why?"

"Well," Kisshu said, a note of pride in his voice, "I wounded the Chief enough that they decided they weren't ready to face off against us for real. We were really beating them down last time we met, so I think they wanted to go back and regroup first before they try again. So at least for now, you all are safe!"

"Are you sure they're really gone?" Ichigo asked doubtfully. It seemed too good to be true. "Weren't you guys having a hard time even tracking them down before?"

"We got confirmation that their ship left Earth's atmosphere," Kisshu explained. "I guess last time they must've gotten here before us, and that's why we never figured out they'd even come until they showed up and attacked you out in the open. Lousy bakas…" Kisshu frowned at the memory. Ichigo reached out and touched his cheek.

"So I guess that eventually, we'll all have to get back out there and defeat them, right?"

Kisshu raised his eyebrows, surprised. "Eh? You wanna fight too?"

"Of course." Ichigo punched him lightly in the chest. "I gotta stop you from doing something stupid like transforming yourself again."

Kisshu laughed. With one hand, he began to stroke her hair. "I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble. But you know, I always have been a bit on the wicked side."

Ichigo giggled. "Hai, you have."

Kisshu wiggled his eyebrows. "Some things never change."

Ichigo answered, leaning over to give him a kiss, "I wouldn't have it any other way."

***~**The End~*

**Goodbye, Ichigo and Kisshu! Be happy and go on many more wonderful adventures together! Maybe somebody else can write about them more grandly and adventurously than I! My greatest wish is that you would all find out for yourselves the sheer joy that writing can bring. Espcially when it's written from the heart. **

**THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED MAKE THIS THE BEST FAN FICTION EXPERIENCE EVER!!!!!!!!!! I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU GUYS!!!!!!!!!!! SEE YOU IN ANOTHER STORY!**

**Much Love to All,**

***~Suki~***


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